Bolh White-lailed and Mule Deer are found in this province. The does of the two species are 

 very hard to tell apart until they raise their tails. These are mules 



shuffle over to peer fixedly at you through your car windows. 

 They have learned that tourists usually carry food and like to 

 hand it out. But they are so shortsighted they may not distinguish 

 your hand from the food, and when you run out of food they 

 may take umbrage and become very unpleasant. 



I was once driving through one of the national parks here — 

 accompanied by an authorized person — to write a story on these 

 bear beggars, when we met a brownish black bear on a road 

 running along a sheer cliff face — a place the bear had cunningly 

 diosen because nobody could get away from it. and thus had to 

 stop! My companion opened one window just a crack and tossed 

 two slices of bread to the animal. The bear ate the bread, then 

 came to the car. stood up. and put its claws over the glass of the 

 window and refused to let go until more bread was tossed out. 

 If there had been no more bread, it might have started ripping 

 the window out. The window was then closed, but the bear 

 immediately climbed onto the roof of the car! To dislodge it we 

 had to perform some rather complex maneuvers. 



Yet these animals are of immense interest. I will never forget 

 coming across two bear cubs in a small bush in this same 

 country. Although they stood only about thirty inches on their 

 hind legs, it did not seem possible that the slender twigs of the 

 berry bush could support their weight: yet they were some ten 

 feet aloft and were reaching out to pull the fruits toward them 

 with their paws, stripping them with their tongues, and munching 

 away happily. When we came on them, one immediately slith- 

 ered down the bush, tramped up to us. and stood up on its hind 

 legs begging with its paws and peering intently into our eyes. 

 These were perfectly wild animals, so we shooed the little 

 creature back to its bush, which it ascended reluctantly and 

 rather clumsily while we sat back to watch. About ten minutes 



later. I happened to catdi some movement in the thick bushes 

 off to our right. We beat a hasty retreat— and not a moment too 

 soon, for the mother marched out almost immediately with a 

 very authoritative air. Fortunately we had not touched the cubs 

 nor given them anything unnatural, for she scolded them down 

 out of the bush and sniffed them carefully all over while keeping 

 one small, bloodshot eye full upon us. Bears are not fools. 



THE IMPERIAL HART 



Bears are almost everywhere, but it is perhaps in this province 

 that the average person may have the closest view of them ai 

 home in their own territory. The same goes for several other of 

 our more outstanding big game. One of these, an animal that is 

 known at least by name to almost everyone, is often regrettably 

 overlooked. This is the Elk or Wapiti, which is the North Ameri- 

 can representative of the Red Deer of Asia and Europe, of which 

 there are many recognizable species and races. However, it attains 

 to its most magnificent proportions on our continent and. al- 

 though not ever as bulky as the Moose, it may truly be said to 

 be the king of the deer. It is not so much the size of the creature 

 or its beautiful "lines" but the really enormous yet perfectly 

 proportioned, shaped, and balanced antlers of the larger slags 

 that are so impressive. This deer is today again spread over a 

 considerable area, having been reintroduced to many suitable 



Overleaf: The waters of Yellowstone's geysers are heavily 

 charged with various minerals. These are often deposited 

 by evaporation and create incredibly fantastic scenes. 



