The Yellowstone Park 
amount of trapping was carried on in early 
days, and their numbers greatly reduced. Of 
late years, special vigilance has been exer- 
cised to prevent the trapping and molestation 
of the Park beaver, but it has been by no 
means easy to accomplish this, on account of 
the remoteness of many of the best-stocked 
streams, and the high price of the skins, which 
tempts the cupidity of the trapper. Captain 
George S. Anderson, the present superinten- 
dent of the Park, believes the beaver are 
steadily increasing, and this is no doubt the 
fact, in view of the efforts that he has made 
to stop all trapping. 
Innumerable streams flowing from the 
mountains to the central plateau, magnificent 
lakes, the sources of grand rivers, and a river 
system divided into four drainage basins, 
make the region singularly well suited for 
fish life. Exploration soon developed the 
fact that, while many of these rivers and 
lakes abounded in trout, others, above the 
waterfalls which form so characteristic a fea- 
ture of the streams between the plateau and 
the lowlands, were wholly destitute of fish. 
In the spring of 1887 I addressed a letter to 
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