4IO Roosevelt JJlId Life Bulletin 



The}' exist under very nearly original conditions, and their real 

 characteristics and habits can be studied in their natural environ- 

 ment to great advantage by the sympathetic lover of wild life. To 

 a hunter-naturalist there is no more attractive field for study than 

 that of the habits and behavior of these game animals,, — creatures 

 that have been systematical!}- pursued and have withstood extermina- 

 tion chiefly by their admirable intelligence in the uneven struggle 

 against man. 



My explorations and investigations in the Park covered a period 

 of some fifteen weeks in late summer and autumn, August 13 to 

 November 17, 1921, with the exception of a fortnight in October 

 (the 8th to 21 St) spent with Hon. Stephen ]\Iather, Director of 

 the Xational Park Service, on a motor trip to the canyons of Utah 

 and the north rim of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. While 

 I was absent from the Yellowstone on this latter journey, my 

 wife, I\Irs. Hilda Hempl Heller, remained in the Park engaged in 

 animal photography in the Lamar A'alley and in the Mammoth 

 Hot Springs district. Mrs. Heller assisted me in photography and 

 field work throughout my sta}- in the Park, with the exception of 

 the last three weeks, which I spent alone. 



The routes we traversed in the Park totaled over 1200 miles, 

 of wliich less than 100 miles w^re made by saddle-horse and the 

 rest by motor car. About thirt}- days were spent in mountain 

 climbing and following the trails on foot. Our operations were 

 limited to central Yellowstone Park in the vicinit}' of the high- 

 ways that connect all the camps and hotels. The principal tourist 

 camps were visited and the bulk of our time was devoted to making 

 the acquaintance of the game animals which haunt the neighborhood 

 of these resorts, particularly Camp Roosevelt, Canyon Camp and 

 ^lammoth Camp. Several trips were also made to the Buitalo 

 Ranch on the Lamar River. Air. Howard H. Hays, President of 

 the Yellowstone Park Camps Company, was our good host at the 

 camps, and he and his staff assisted us in many ways. We are 

 indebted to him for many motor rides and for much personal good 

 cheer, his spirit tx^pifying the good fellowship and democracy of 

 the West. 



Mr. Chester Lindsley. the Assistant Superintendent of the Park, 

 met us at the AA'est Yellowstone entrance and drove us through 

 the Park to ^Mammoth Hot Springs, formerly the military station 

 of Fort Yellowstone. Our firs: day took the form of an elaborate 

 initiation, a tour of over 120 miles with short stops at famous 



