i'huLu by C 



VIEW OF THE UPPER YElvLOWSTONE RIVER 



While high water made the trip difficult in July, 1908, low water in September, 1909 and 

 1910, was worse. Our canvas canoe had to be pulled up hundreds of such shallows. The 

 author can find no record of a boat getting up to Bridger Lake, though, doubtless, Indians 

 and trappers did so before 1870. 



discouraging, so I got out to lighten the 

 bow and to have a better opportunity of 

 looking for animals cr their tracks. 



Almost at once I saw some moose 

 tracks, and as I continued on hardly a 

 mud fiat was without them. At the time 

 this was a surprise, for, according to the 

 park authorities, there were not sup- 

 posed to be above a dozen moose in the 

 entire park. Seeing an opening in a 

 near-by woods suggestive of a pond, and 

 with water warm enough for aquatic 

 vegetation, I approached cautiously and 

 found just such a place, with a big, 

 black-colored bull moose in the midst of 

 a feast. 



Heretofore I had made a ruh not to 

 photograph animals in public parks or 

 game reservations of any kind, because 

 the lack of skill made such a pastime as 

 unattractive with camera as with the gun 

 and because many of these animals have 

 lost their wild characteristics. This wary 

 and uncontaminated creature suggested. 



of course, an exception ; but as it is al- 

 ways difihcult to draw the line, I con- 

 cluded that the park line should still 

 be the one to go by. So, after noting 

 the color and size of the animal and 

 the shape of the antlers, I returned to 

 the river, hopeful that after crossing the 

 boundary the camera might have an- 

 other chance at an animal supposedly 

 rare in the mountain States. 



The next afternoon I walked within 

 50 feet of a large bull lying half asleep 

 at the tail end of a small island, and not 

 until the canoe came in sight did he arise. 

 Then another bull got up further back, 

 and as they ran ofif were joined by a 

 cow — one of the few instances in which 

 I have seen the female consorting with 

 bulls in midsummer. 



Before reaching the lake on the return 

 trip several days later I saw six more 

 bulls and another cow, making a total of 

 eleven along the swift, cold waters of 

 the Yellowstone. Doubtless a visit to 



819 



