16 
I Ventre. The majority, however, move southeastwardly along 
the loot hills to the lower part of Jackson Hole. In 1910 they came 
about the last of November. The open valley between the hills and 
Snake River, a part of wliich is known as Antelope Flats, was for- 
merly a favorite migration route for these animals, but increasing set- 
tlement has lately caused them to seek almost entirely the shelter of 
the foothills to the eastward. Besides those wliich winter in the val- 
if the Gros Ventre within the mountains, a few hundred frequent 
willow swamps of its lower stretches. A few winter about the 
upper Gros Ventre Butte (usually called the Black Tail Butte), and 
the low elevations, called the East and West Gros Ventre Buttes, 
which occupy a considerable area in the middle part of Jackson Hole, 
harbor a number of good-sized herds. The favorite haunt of the 
animals, however, is the large marsh bordering Little Gros Ventre or 
Flat Creek above the town of Jackson. This occupies an area about 
5 miles in length and varying in width from 1 to 2 miles. Flat Creek, 
which traverses it, is partially dammed near the town of Jackson by a 
ledge of rock, and the slackened current, permitting the deposition of 
great quantities of silt, has caused the formation of this marsh. A 
rank growth of coarse grass covers the greater part of this area, much 
of wliich is so wet during ordinary seasons as to prevent harvesting. 
Several large warm springs drain into it, and these cause parts of the 
stream lo remain open during most or all of the winter, but the marsh 
itself is partially flooded and freezes early, allowing the animals to gain 
s to such forage as remains above the ice and snow. During the 
past winter an unusually heavy fall of snowin early January was heavily 
crusted as the result of a wet storm and the animals w T ere prevented 
from obtaining more than a small proportion of the lich store of food 
which should have awaited them. The surrounding hillsides, as a 
result of the unusually dry summer of 1910 and the consequent exces- 
sive grazing, did not afford the usual amount of food, and before the 
winter was half over the condition of the herds had become appalling. 
DEPREDATIONS BY ELK IN WINTER. 
The passage of bands of large animals through even a sparsely 
settled country naturally results in some damage to fences. The 
ordinary rail fence used for the confinement of stock offers no serious 
impediment to the elk, especially when snow lies deep on the ground 
and eddies of air about the cornel's of fences and in the lee of knolls 
form deep drifts. Thus fences which cross the routes frequented by 
these animals are usually broken down early hi the winter. The most 
serious damage, however, results from the efforts of animals to 
reach ha] . and in this respect the settlers find it almost impos- 
sible to protect themselves. Besides their ability to leap or scramble 
over high fences, the elk show great dexterity in clambering sideways 
between the poles and, if even a narrow space is left, they frequently 
