BIG GAME IN HAYDEN VALLEY. 



manner in which they avoid their black 

 cousins, preferring to eat what Ursus amer- 

 icanus leaves rather than associate with 

 him. When feeding, the grizzlies seem to 

 wish no company outside their own circle, 

 and if a traveler wish to see them at their 

 dinners, he must seek the shelter of some 

 choke cherry, bull berry or sage brush, 

 from which to make his observations. 

 While we were at the Thumb of Yellow- 

 stone lake the wind suddenly shifted and 

 blew directly from our hiding place toward 

 an old female grizzly busily engaged in 

 helping a light gray cub and its dust-col- 

 ored mate to clean up the meat cans on the 

 refuse heap. Instantly the gray cub de- 

 tected our presence. Rearing on his hind 

 legs he sniffed the tainted air a mo- 

 ment, then said, "Ough-oo-oo !" This star- 

 tled the other cub, which also stood up, 

 and, after a whiff of the breeze, replied, 

 "We-ee-e ; we are watched. Oo-wee-ee ! 

 Yes, it is a man." Mother bruin then rose 

 to her feet, in which position she closely re- 

 sembled a stump, as motionless, till she, 

 too, caught the taint of man. Then she 



418 



made some low-toned remarks, which 

 sounded like a onghed-oue-wee-oo !" Then 

 all disappeared up the trail. 



One night I was awakened by some ani- 

 mals sniffing the hem of our canvas house, 

 and was not surprised in the morning to 

 find the big, human-like footprints of a 

 mother bear, mingled with the smaller ones 

 of her cubs in the dust at the very door of 

 our tent; but the only harm done was the 

 stampeding of our cow. Proud of his 

 name and family traditions, it may be Ur- 

 sus horribilis sharply draws the color line 

 among the tribes of bruin; but this in no 

 manner affects the popularity of the black 

 bear among tourists, with whom he is a 

 great favorite. 



A few years ago, before the hotel at the 

 upper geyser basin was burned, the guests 

 of that hostelry were sitting around the big 

 open fire, telling bear stories, when in 

 walked a large, glossy black bear. Con- 

 versation died, and the guests sat silent 

 and motionless as the petrified trees at 

 Yancey's, till the bear, bored by such dull 

 company, strolled leisurely to the front 



