TO YELLOWSTONE PARK 



nests they were all in trees — and the mosquitoes proved 

 as numerous as at the place I had just left. Whilst 

 returning through some low scrub I came right on top 

 of a couple of big snakes, which looked exactly like the 

 deadly Black Mamba of Africa. I gave them a wide 

 berth, but the Doctor assured me that, as a matter of 

 fact, they were quite harmless. The ospreys' eyries 

 on Gardener's Island numbered between seventy and 

 eighty, and formed a sight to gladden the heart of any 

 ornithologist. 



That afternoon we returned to New York, and I 

 developed my films, most of which proved to be 

 valueless. So once more, with Dr. Overton as my 

 guide, I went back to the island and put in a hard 

 day's work with the camera. On this occasion, 

 however, I knew better how to set about my task, 

 with the result that I was just as successful as I had 

 been unsuccessful before. 



II 



My next move from New York was nearly across 

 the continent, to the famous Yellowstone Park, where, 

 amidst the most wonderful natural surroundings, the 

 Government has collected together specimens of almost 

 all the wild animals of the Western States. The man 

 who pitched on this valley as the National Park of the 



19 289 



