Photo by George Shiras, 3rd. 



A COW MOOSi: TAKES ITS OWN PICTURE AT NIGHT 



Unlike the elk and caribou, the moose are great night feeders. This picture was taken where 

 a moose trail led from the forest to a number of ponds 



some of the small ponds and lakes in the 

 valley, where summer food abounded, 

 would have shown many more. Yet this 

 area did not extend more than 8 miles in 

 a direct line, although by reason of its 

 circuitous course it was probably i6 

 miles by river. 



On the third day our ascent was defi- 

 nitely ended by the breaking of both 

 oars, and although spliced with copper 

 wire they became useless in combatting 

 the heavy currents at every turn of the 

 river. At this season the warm weather 

 was melting the last of the snow-drifts 

 on the higher summits, and while the 

 high water was favorable for reaching 

 Bridger Lake, the current proved too 

 strong for our outfit. In the succeeding 

 and later seasons low water became 

 equally trying. 



But the existence and comparative 

 abundance of moose in this isolated val- 

 ley was now no longer a matter of specu- 

 lation. And on my expected return the 

 following year it would be for the pur- 

 pose of estimating the number and to 

 study their peculiarities, if any, in color, 

 size, horn formation, and diet. And so 

 it was with less reluctance that, after 



several days' rest, the canoe was turned 

 down the rapid stream. 



On passing the sand-bar where the 

 bear had greeted us silence was the order 

 of the day, and we glided by with all the 

 armament in easy reach. At the next 

 bend the canoe nearly ran into a band 

 of 50 elk, lying drowsily in the sun on a 

 small, sandy island, with two or three' 

 old cows standing guard. From this I 

 concluded that the big silver-tip had de-_ 

 serted the neighborhood. 



That night, August 4, we made camp 

 under a high mountain at the southeast 

 corner of the lake. I had previously ar- 

 ranged that the canoe would go down 

 the shore a distance of 10. or 12 miles to 

 Signal Point, where a big fire was to be 

 built after dark at an elevation suffi- 

 ciently high to be seen 20 miles diago- 

 nally across the lake, and on the follow- 

 ing afternoon the launch was to come 

 for us, as it was not considered safe to 

 cross this deep, wind-racked lake in a 

 canvas canoe. 



And now occurred the suggested se- 

 quel in bear antics and best detailed by 

 the camp note-book. 



825 



