4 70 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Dae. 10, 1898. 
But the excitement of the sport was intense and every- 
one enjoyed it. As fast as one flock disappeared in the 
snowy distance another was sure to come in its wake 
and give the hunters another opportunity to kill a few. 
There was an endless string of them. But it was evident 
that many of the same birds circled around and passed 
over the same spot a dozen times. This naturally made 
their numbers seem out of all proportion to the actual 
number on the beach. 
For three or four hours this strange sort of duck hunt- 
ing was kept up. Nobody attempted to get the game 
uwless it fell close to the hunters' feet, for the birds were 
flying so close together that it seemed like a waste of 
time to gather in the spoils until the end. Nobody knew 
how long the sport would last, and there was an intensely 
feverish desire to make the most of it while it was pos- 
sible. It may be imagined by some that this was more 
slaughter than good, sporstmanlike gunning. But such 
was far from being the case, Had the birds been flying 
so close together and so continuously in a clear atmos- 
phere, it would have been murder to have shot them 
down in such numbers, but with the snow falling in 
clouds and the game appearing upon the vision like a 
flash and then going almost as quickly, it was no easy 
matter to hit them. With the air full of snowflakes it 
is not easy to hit a moving target when kept in range 
for a reasonable length of time. The snow disconcerts 
the. gunner, and sometimes half blinds the eye just at 
the critical moment. But there was added to this dis- 
advantage the very formidable one of a target that dis- 
appeared almost in a second. With guns half elevated 
it was necessary to shoot them off before they could be 
fully raised to the shoulder. If any one is inclined to 
remark at the small number of birds bagged, considering 
the heavy flight, allowances must be made for the ob- 
stacles to good shooting mentioned! In the three hours 
the five men killed about one hundred ducks and geese 
and a few other birds that were shot more by accident 
than by intention. Possibly a few more were killed, but 
could not be recovered from the drifts of snow into which 
they had fallen. 
By early dusk the cold became so intense that hunting 
lost much of its pleasures. Besides the continuous and 
heavy fall of snow began to cause a little alarm. It was 
thought better then to return to the boat. The bay was 
lashed into a fury by this time, and no boat could long 
live in the waves that rolled across it. The sloop was 
tugging desperately at its anchor like a great white ghost. 
Everything was coated with ice and then covered with 
deep layers of snow. In the small cabin a fire was blaz- 
ing away, and the smell of coffee and frying potatoes 
and eggs brought comfort to tired, cold bodies and half- 
famished stomachs. After a plain but abundant supper 
everybody talked at once about the sport that had just 
been enjoyed. The hot drinks and food loosened 
tongues, that had been tied outside in the cold, and until 
nearly midnight sporting conversation flowed in one con- 
tinuous stream. 
Then Captain Jack Baylis, who owned the staunch 
sloop, created a little uneasiness and checked the flow of 
words by remarking: "We're in fur a reg'lar blizzard, an' 
I ain't sure how we'll get out of it." 
To the many queries about the possibility of danger 
he merely vouchsafed the non-committal reply: "There's 
danger, an' again there ain't." 
But long before morning the party had occasion to 
think differently about their fancied security. We were 
awakened by a loud noise and heavy rocking of the boat. 
When everybody was awake enough to take in the full 
significance of this change, we understood that the sloop 
had been dragging her anchor, and that instead of hug- 
ging the leeward side of the beach we were rocking 
about wildly in some unknown part of the bay. The 
storm was wilder than ever. A foot or more of snow 
covered the deck of the sloop, and the very water around 
us looked like a mass of snow. It was impossible to 
imagine that we were floating in water except for the 
steady roll of the white waves, which tossed the sloop up 
and down. It was a strangely white, ghostly, uncanny 
sea. Around us was the darkness of night, but through 
it all was th^ intense whiteness of the snow. The clouds 
of flakes filled the upper darkness, and a thick layer of 
half-melted snow covered the entire bay, The wind blew 
a perfect hurricane, whistling through the ropes like a 
demon. 
We were castaways voyaging upon an unknown Arctic 
sea. • Even Captain Jack could not guess where we were. 
There was a continuous cry of geese around us, but we 
were more truly lost in the storm than the birds we had 
been hunting. The mercury had dropped appreciably 
and it was freezing cold outside. But it was necessary to 
do something to save the sloop. The wind might drift 
us through the Fire Island inlet out upon the roaring, 
pitching ocean beyond. The dread of this stimulated 
every man to do his utmost to help in saving the wreck. 
Everything that would answer the purpose of an anchor 
or drag was thrown overboard, and in this way the boat 
was kept from running broadside upon the wind and 
waves. 
For hours the agony of our position was experienced 
with all the unknown dread that comes through ignor- 
ance of what might happen next. We tried to stop our 
headway, but we could only partly do this. We could 
tell by the path we left behind us in the snow that we 
were steadily drifting. For once nobody paid much at- 
tention to the noise of the lost birds. Once or twice one 
would rush out of the darkness and cross the deck of 
the boat in a wild plunge for safety. The light in our 
cabin was probably the attracting cause of this, but no- 
body paid much attention even to these demonstrations 
of the fowl. 
We took turns in watching on the deck, hoping every 
moment that we might discover through the gloom some 
object that would indicate a shore line. But we simply 
drifted and rolled about, with our anchors sometimes 
catching in the soft bottom and again dangling help- 
lessly through 50ft. of water. The cold was so in- 
tense that several fingers and feet were frozen before the 
end of the watches -announced relief. 
When daylight broke the snow was still flying, but 
there were indications of a gradual lessening of the 
storm. The wind kept up such a sweep that drifting 
snow filled the air almost as completely as if it was snow- 
ing hard. When light brightened up the whole bay it 
was a weird sight presented to our view. It was a 
ghostly landscape, stretching out in every direction. So 
much snow had fallen on the bay that its surface was 
coated with a shroud of white. The undulating waves 
did not break through this crest of white, but made the 
surface heave and pulsate in the strangest manner. It 
was probablv the heavy weight of the snow that kept us 
from being wrecked. The snow kept down the breakers 
and greatly moderated the rolling of the waves. In such 
a sea of snow it was impossible to tell where the water 
ended and where the land commenced. But we found 
later that we had drifted right across the bay, and our 
sloop was well on its way toward Babylon. Both tide 
and wind had swept us straight toward our destination. 
It may be imagined that we landed oh terra firma with 
feelings of gratefulness, but, with the exception of a few 
frozen fingers and toes, nobody was any the worse for 
having experienced one of the wildest and strangest duck 
hunts that hunters ever experience around these quarters. 
G. F. W. 
The Yellowstone Park, 
[From the Report of Capt. James B. Erwin, Acting Superintendent, 
for 1898.] 
Carrying Firearms through the Park. 
The custom of carrying firearms of some description 
is nearly universal among the citizens of States border- 
ing the Park, who travel in their own conveyances, or 
011 saddle animals; and of course those desiring to hunt 
in the country adjacent to the park, and who go 
through the Park either on starting on their trip or re- 
turning, are fully equipped in this particular. With ref- 
erence to all of these individuals, the regulation prohibit- 
ing firearms in the Park, except on written permission 
from the acting superintendent, in which case the arms 
are sealed, has been strictly enforced. It is a wise reg- 
ulation, and its enforcement is essential to the protection 
of the Park. 
The mere fact that this region has been set aside as a 
national park engenders a feeling of hostility toward it 
and toward the authorities here, on the part of the people 
living nearest to it; and the fact that it abounds in game 
which is becoming more and more rare in other parts 
of the United States intensifies the feeling of enmity. 
As the benefits to the people of the surrounding country, 
derived from keeping the Park intact and the game pro- 
tected, become better understood by them, this hostility 
will undoubtedly cease; and in performing the duties of 
acting superintendent I have endeavored to make this 
plain to all I have been brought in contact with, and, so 
far as possible, to make them friends of the Park. 
United States Commissioner and his Work. 
The presence of a United States Commissioner at 
Mammoth Hot Springs to hear and determine cases of 
violations of the Park laws and regulations is eminently 
satisfactory, and continues to do much to prevent these 
violations. 
Fires, 
The Park has been exceptionally exempt from forest 
fires this year, due not only to the thoroughness with 
which the patrol work was done, but also to the growing 
carefulness in reference to fires exercised by camping 
parties and others. On Aug. 8 a fire was reported nine 
miles northwest of Riverside station, a short distance 
outside the Park limit, but as the direction of the pre- 
vailing wind would soon bring it within the Park, a 
detail of officers and men were sent, and after two days 
of much fatigue and hard work it was brought under 
control. 
On Aug. 26 a fire was reported and located between 
Barlow's Fork and Heart River, in the southeastern 
portion of the Park, but fortunately rain followed for 
several days, extinguishing it and rendering no work on 
the part of the troops necessary, other than a careful 
watch for several days. The causes of neither of these 
fires could be definitely determined, but that of Aug, 26 
unquestionably originated from camp fires carelesssly 
left burning or smoldering. The origin of the fire of 
Aug. 8 was not so plainly accidental, and the inquiry as 
to. its origin was limited to the determination that its 
starting point was not within the Park limits. It ought 
not to be difficult for campers in and in the vicinity of 
the Park to understand the incalculable damage, both in 
the present and for future years, that can be done by 
not carefully complying with the Park laws in this re- 
spect. _ ^ A . 
Forest Reserves. 
Bordering on the eastern and southern limits of the 
Park are two forest reserves, both of which have been 
recommended by my predecessor to be brought within 
the Park boundaries and made a part thereof. It will be 
remembered that these tracts of land were set aside and 
established as a public reservation by proclamation of 
the President, made on March 30 and Sept. io, 
1891, and though not coming within the provisions 
of the act of Congress approved May 7, 1894. 
are yet under the jurisdiction and control of the 
acting superintendent and the military force in the 
Park for the enforcement of the law setting them 
aside, especially relating to the preservation of the 
game. To thoroughly determine the character of the 
forest reserve on the east, the settlers therein, game, etc., 
Lieut. Lindsley, Fourth Cavalry, was sent to investigate 
the same, and on his return submitted a report, which 
will be found in the appendix (F). It will be seen that 
there are many settlers in it, some in violation of law. 
and that a few mining claims are being worked. 
The country does not seem to be the habitat of any 
large quantity of game. The forest reserve on the south 
contains no settlers, is. of no mineral value, and is un- 
questionably a game country. I would for these reasons 
therefore urge that the forest reserve on the south be 
made a part of the Park, and the forest reserve on the 
east be not further considered with this end in view. It 
is probable that whatever opposition has hitherto been 
encountered in taking in both of these reserves as part 
of the Park would cease, when it is proposed to take in 
only that one on the south, which possesses only the 
advantage of being a great game country, and has no 
mineral or agricultural advantage to settlers. I 
would also recommend that the necessary legislation 
be enacted, bringing the forest reserves bordering 
the Park under the provision of the National 
Park protective act, approved May 7, 1894, to preserve 
and protect the game. As is set forth in the notice of 
the Department, which has been placed in conspicuous 
places in and about the Park, "All persons are warned 
not to hunt nor kill game thereon," and the penalty for 
doing this is. ejection from the reserve, prosecution for 
trespass, and the holding of such persons pecuniarily re- 
sponsible for any waste or damage, whether done inten- 
tionally or caused by neglect. Such is the extent of the 
punishment, and in its present mild form it does not 
form a sufficient safeguard for the protection of the re- 
serve and its game. 
Protection. 
The following animals are found in the Park: 
Antelope. — These are yet numerous. The snow drives 
them from the mountains and high plateaus, their feeding 
and breeding ground in spring and summer, to the lower 
altitudes outside of the Park, where many are killed. 
Bear. — Plentiful, and have proved destructive to the 
stores of the detachments on station, lunch stations and 
campers. If they continue to increase in the future, as in 
the past, some means will have to be taken to rid the 
Park of the. yearly increase. They are numerous at the 
garbage piles of the hotels, and are objects of much in- 
terest and enjoyment to the tourists. 
Buffalo. — There are probably fifty of these animals yet 
in tlie Park. They are not increasing — due, I believe, to 
too much in-breeding. This is about the only wild herd 
in the United States, and steps should be taken to pre- 
vent the extermination of this herd from the evils of in- 
breeding by the purchase of a few good bulls. Full and 
ample protection is given these animals, and I believe 
that with new stock introduced into the herd, an increase 
would follow. 
Coyotes. — Very numerous in certain sections. They 
do iome damage to the young elk, but the young deer 
and antelope are their particular prey. Efforts are made 
in winter to keep their number down by poisoning car 
casses of dead animals, and to a certain extent it has 
been successful. 
Deer. — Numerous, on the increase; and the protection 
afforded them has done much to make them very tame. 
They are frequently seen by tourists along the usually 
traveled route. 
Elk. — Numerous, and are increasing. The Park is 
their breeding place in spring, and feeding ground in 
winter. Immense herds can be seen in nearly any direc- 
tion in winter, and in certain localities in summer. 
Fur-bearing Animals. — Beaver more plentiful than ever 
before, and their locations in the various streams in the 
Park are carefully watched and protected. Numerous 
new dams have been constructed. Otter are fairly abun- 
dant. Martens are plentiful and widely distributed, as 
are also the Canadian lynx, wildcat and mink. Foxes 
are in goodly number, the black and red being frequently 
seen, and some timber foxes being reported. There are 
also some badgers, and a great many muskrats, ground 
hogs, squirrels, chipmunks, skunks, porcupines and rab- 
bits. Of the latter there are the cottontails, a few jack- 
rabbits, many snowshoe rabbits, and the paca, the tiny 
rock rabbit. All these animals are increasing nearly. 
Moose. — Quite numerous in the south and south- 
western portions of the Park and forest reserve, and are 
apparently increasing. 
Sheep. — In considerable numbers in various sections 
of the Park; especially are they conspicuous in winter, 
when they leave the higher peaks and seek a somewhat 
lower level to feed, and later on to breed. I believe their 
number is increasing. 
Wolverines. — While not plentiful, are distributed over 
a large area of the Park. 
Birds. 
Pelicans, geese, ducks, gulls, cranes, swans, ospreys, 
hawks, eagles, grouse, jays of all kinds, water ousel, rob- 
ins, kingfishers and various other small birds abound in 
the Park. The aquatic birds nest here and remain here 
Until late in the fall, and it is probable, during the winter 
in streams and lakes where the hot springs prevent en- 
tire freezing of the water. 
At the opening of the winter there was but a balance 
of $66.01 remaining on hand for both the protection and 
improvement. Using this until exhausted, and relying 
upon the untiring efforts and conscientious work of 
Lieut. Lindsley, soldiers and a volunteer scout, the pro- 
tection of the Park was as efficiently performed, if not 
to a greater extent, than in former years. The plan 
adopted was to ascertain the location of all persons who 
in past years have been guilty, or thought guilty, of 
poaching, and never let them get beyond the surveillance 
of the Park authorities. This was successfully done in 
many cases, and resulted in the capture and trial of 
some of them by the United States Commissioner; and, 
with the assistance of the State authorities, by the civil 
courts, thus deterring others from attempting to poach. 
Unless actually taking part in the winter work here, the 
hardships are inconceivable, and the report of these trips 
made by scouts and others, showing the work done, 
represents miles of snowshoeing, embracing all portions 
of the Park, under all sorts of weather and temperature, 
where the parties were their own pack animals, camping 
usually where night found them, or resorting to the 
snowshoe shacks, affording but little protection. 
The Department supplied sleeping bags, which are of 
incalculable comfort: and before the winter sets in, com- 
fortable cabins will be built at necessary and convenient 
points, stocked with rations and bedding, and having 
stoves, which will lessen materially the hardships and 
discomforts of these trips. With the end in view of 
having transportation of some sort for necessary articles 
for these winter scouting parties, I believed that the rein- 
deer recently purchased by the Government for . the 
Klondike relief party, which was subsequently aban- 
doned, could be used to advantage, and accordingly ad- 
dressed a letter to the Department, asking, if practicable, 
that a few be sent here for this purpose. It is unfortu- 
nate that these animals were so located that they could 
not be sent here, for in the use of these animals or in 
sledge dogs lies the solution of winter work in the Park. 
