September, 1921 
FOREST AND STREAM 
399 
from the grind that keeps him running sore and 
ragged. An ordinary folding cot, a good army 
blanket and a good-sized tarp or a little auto tent 
is all the equipment he needs. 
Five minutes shopping will supply him with a 
loaf of bread, one-half pound of sliced bacon, five 
cents worth of onions, ten cents for coffee and the 
same for sugar, one-half dozen eggs, and some 
cinnamon rolls and any other thing he might like. 
About 6 P.M. when he has done an honest day’s 
work let him drive out of town by an unfrequented 
road into the woods and hills and find some open 
space with friendly trees hard by. 
He can then get out and look around, take a deep 
breath and try to feel lonesome. Listen to the far- 
off voice of cow bells and perhaps the far away 
noise of a train. Get acquainted with the trees 
and rocks and flowers and the birds that are dis- 
turbed by his camping. 
He will see how fine it is to quietly get his sup- 
ply of wood for the fires of the night and the next 
morning. Get a fire going in the right place, pro- 
tecting himself, the car and the place where he has 
lighted it. The blaze of the fire and the upgoing 
sparks and the departing day make him forget 
some things and call to his memory others that are 
worth while. 
When he has finished his meal and the few 
dishes are all washed and put back in the car 
and all loose papers carefully burned, the voices of 
the night will be speaking. After a contemplative 
pipe he can put more wood on the fire and make 
his bed and then slip under his blankets and count 
a few stars. When his face feels cold snug under 
the blanket just a little and the next morning he 
will be better fitted for the work of the day. 
WILD ANIMALS OF YELLOWSTONE PARK 
'T'HE sight of wild things living under natural 
conditions has become one of the chief charms 
of a vacation in the Yellowstone Park and the 
first question asked by nearly every tourist is 
“How many animals does the park contain?” This 
question is answered in the annual report of the 
Director of the National Park Service for 1920, 
in which the park superintendent has given the 
following interesting data regarding the wild life 
of the park. 
The wild herd of buffalo ranging in the Pelican 
Valley contains well over a hundred head. The 
tame herd, so called because they are fed hay dur- 
ing the winter months, totals 442 animals. This 
herd ranges in the Lamar River Valley and tour- 
ists who make the side trip to the Buffalo Farm 
may easily view the herd. 
About 200 mountain or big horn sheep make the 
Yellowstone their home. The park superintendent 
considers the antelope situation serious; only 300 
head of antelope are left. As antelope will not 
breed in capitivity and zoological gardens can not 
maintain the ones they have, it is essential that 
the Yellowstone herd be wisely cared for if the 
extermination of the prong-horn is to be prevented. 
There are 800 moose in. the park, which range 
in the upper valley of the Yellowstone River and 
in the Falls River Basin in the southwestern cor- 
ner of the park. 
In 1912 there were 50,000 elk in the Yellow- 
stone; today only 23,000 remain. The winter of 
1918-19 was reported as the severest which the 
wild animals ever had to face. The heavy snows 
of 1918 forced the elk outside the park limits in 
search of food and thousands were killed by hunt- 
ers while many more died from exposure and star- 
vation. If the elk herds are to be preserved the 
superintendent recommends a restricted hunting 
season in Montana and more winter feeding of hay. 
Deer, once so numerous, now number only 1,200 
mule deer and but 100 of the white tail species. 
Beaver are reported so numerous that there is 
practically no way of estimating their number. 
Jack rabbits are quite common about Mammoth 
Hot Springs and Tower Falls and the snowshoe 
rabbit is an abundant inhabitant of the forested 
areas. Among other animals often seen are pine 
squirrels, three different species of chipmunks, two 
species of ground squirrels, muskrats, conies, bad- 
gers in open country, and five species of bats. 
Canada lynx, bobcat, fox, wolverines and fishers 
occur in the pax’k but are rarely seen even by the 
park rangers. 
Coyotes, wolves and mountain lions are the most 
destructive of the carniverous animals and are 
hunted and trapped each year by the park rangers. 
As the bears attract the greatest interest it is 
interesting to learn that there are over 100 black 
bears in the park. Black, brown and cinnamon 
bears are all included in the term “black”, as scien- 
tists have agreed that each is but a different color 
phase of the same species. The superintendent re- 
ports that there is no reason why the black bear 
should not bcome more abundant. It is also esti- 
mated that there are at least 40 grizzly bears, Yel- 
lowstone providing the last stronghold for the sil- 
ver-tips. 
While a general knowledge of the habits of the 
various animals in the park is established there is 
much to learn concerning their intimate life his- 
tories. In this connection it is interesting to note 
that Mr. Edmund Heller, of the Advisory Board 
of Forest and Stream, is now making a close 
study of the big game animals occurring in the 
Yellowstone. 
This interesting data will be published by the 
Roosevelt Wild Life Forest Experiment Station 
at Syracuse University, under whose auspices he 
is making the survey. 
TRAPPING BEAVER ON THE COCHETOPA 
T JNDER a co-operative plan between the State 
^ Game and Fish Department and the U. S. For- 
est Service, Commissioner R. G. Parvin sent a spe- 
cial trapper to the Cochetopa National Forest to 
catch beaver which were damming streams and 
flooding farm lands. The plan also called for trans- 
planting trapped beaver which were not seriously 
hurt to streams where they would not be likely 
to do damage. Although there are over 12,000 
beaver on the Cochetopa Forest, there are still 
many streams which they have not worked. In 
one month the trapper caught 132 beaver of which 
one pair were taken to another stream. The fur 
value of the 130 killed is $20 per hide, or $2,600. 
This goes to the State Fish & Game Department. 
At present prices, the beaver in Colorado are worth 
at least $240,000 for their hides and millions for 
the protection against floods which they furnish. 
The experiment which was carried on may lead to 
a plan whereby the increase may be trapped each 
year and the proceeds added to the income of the 
State Fish & Game Department. 
