WILDERNESS RESERVES 295 



of the Gardiner River, that is within a few miles of Mam- 

 moth Hot Springs, I found them feeding on elk, which 

 in the Park far outnumber all other game put together, 

 being so numerous that the ravages of the cougars are of 

 no real damage to the herds. But in the neighborhood 

 of the Mammoth Hot Springs the cougars are noxious 

 because of the antelope, mountain sheep, and deer which 

 they kill; and the Superintendent has imported some 

 hounds with which to hunt them. These hounds are 

 managed by Buffalo Jones, a famous old plainsman, who 

 is now in the Park taking care of the buffalo. On this 

 first day of my visit to the Park I came across the car- 

 casses of a deer and of an antelope which the cougars had 

 killed. On the great plains cougars rarely get antelope, 

 but here the country is broken so that the big cats can 

 make their stalks under favorable circumstances. To 

 deer and mountain sheep the cougar is a most dangerous 

 enemy much more so than the wolf. 



The antelope we saw were usually in bands of from 

 twenty to one hundred and fifty, and they travelled strung 

 out almost in single file, though those in the rear would 

 sometimes bunch up. I did not try to stalk them, but 

 got as near them as I could on horseback. The closest 

 approach I was able to make was to within about eighty 

 yards of two which were by themselves I think a doe 

 and a last year's fawn. As I was riding up to them, 

 although they looked suspiciously at me, one actually lay 

 down. When I was passing them at about eighty yards' 

 distance the big one became nervous, gave a sudden jump, 

 and away the two went at full speed. 



