The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-08-03

Green are toe sprngs OF tue Gros vcntrc RIVER which
COWS westward hundred miles or so shd becomes one
the hills, which do not rise more than twelve thousand
I've hundred lee, at the highest are named after the
Upper Missouri and were famous In the time Of Lewis
anu Clarke. They were gradually driven back and
Killed on until the remnant Is In Dakota Beyond
the eros yentrcs \ very mouatainous country extends
to the Yellowstone Park, which itself Is ~ no
means small From tho western termination Of
the Gros ventre Hills there stretches south
ward an unnamed range OF mountains whose
submits rise TAR above timber hne and
wahsatch and perhaps ought 10 receive any sepa.
rate name; nevertheless Is well isolated from tho
of that cham, which lily defined a, best l, is
this range that the western wall Of The Green
River Valley, anu toward nigh point near its north
ern end We directed our eext days long and srcsome
march.
THE SILENT MoLxs
But one word about our camping place on tho mouu-
edge OF the browning blun and the easily crumbng
sandsione had formed deep soL Wherever the sn ow
was gone we saw that this soil thrown up INTO
innumerabe ridges by the moles, which had tunnelcd
under the snow 10 every direction Instead OF ''mak-
ing mountain out OF q moehilin these little miners
bad been making moehills out Of the mountain. The
least current oil water running from the drifts
carried away this iooeened earth, and thus tho
stripped OF the mountain and contributed TO the VAL
10y Blind moies are levelng tho Rocky Mountainsi
Getting down without extraordinary difcuity into the
eulch. through which fairszed stream. called Fall
River BY the trappers made It's way into the park
wo had seen on tho previous day, rode along lts
Uduke ~ WAS fut 70 tue OTm OF muuuy wafer, Tor
the unusual warmth Of the past had produced
. ireshet
rHs sxAvEma
In almost any stream IN tile mountainous parts OF
the Territory you may inu more less beavers and
beaver dams But this stream and this whole region,
furpasses any place know Of a resort for these
animals OF the Mississippi In the
rocky canyon higher up this creek thirty forty
yards across, nor would II have boon much wider In
the moro open valley below had Il been inpcded
But for adozen miles the beavers bad damned II and
choked with their houses tina, the water spread
mile or more in WIDTH aud hundreds OF dead aud v-
ing trees once far back IRON the margin now
standing equally FAR out the water. some Of tho
were built cupve, with the hollow OF The up
stream, yet so substantially that they Standing
she beating Of This ireshet with slight damage All
along the bank OF the stream the hillside baro OF
apens, and their stumps cut oil close 10 tho ground
showed what bad destroyed them. Some oil the stumps
were 0, trees ten Twelve inches In diameter and
seventy Ave yards from the water yea ,herc was no
doubt that these rodents had eled those trees trimmed
OIL The Ora peeled away The .,o bark ana nsn
new dam or repair ON old one Indeed, we surprised
some OF thom at work. Most of the dams were shorter
than have mentioned and ran from one 10 another,
SO that there was network OF them supporting .
growth Of willows and each enclosing little basin
like ssua ,ne domed ,o %no CT , Meua noma
But the houses OF many were under the bank and Of
others beneath the DAMS we could see by the paths
70 them, which showed plainly through the water
Wherever the willows grew closely the waler's edge
for distance there would be roads through them
frequent Intervals the stems gnawed on the weeds
trouden down smooth. BUSY as beaver ACQUIRES
o new force when we think nov ceaselessly he must
work to his daily food collect winter stores keep
his house In order repair his dam and guard against
enemies. We saw none OF the animals themselves
They are rarely seen by any ono being abo 70 detect
your approach by the jar OF the ground, not other
wise, and hide themselves.
rRAPpEH's PARADISE
good trapper ought 10 secure 900 worth Of
beaver SKINS on TINS one stream in single winter and
there are other great communities within short dis
lance He would find the place an excellent one
to spend tho winter In, TOO. Besides the beaver
he would ind not few offers whose SKINS worth
81 10 IS apiece, and martens, minks and fishers
In the marshsa But he would nave TO 60 away from
the bug beaver colonies TOR these, Of hese animals
and particularly the otter. consorting well with the
trowel-taed gentry. In the mountains and woods 10
would access. he would be able 10 shoot and trap
bears, both grizzlies and the cnnamOns. wolves gray
mountain and prairie wild cats. lynxes ana foxes. All
these furs would DC valuable, aud ne could got plenty
OF venson and "small deer' tor his larder, not 10
speak Of skunks to bait hts traps wn the feathers
OF The sage-hcn as u lure 10 his mink and narten
snares
1t at the lower end OF this that started
band Of elks from The shadows where they were paw
ing In the water to escape the fies There young
buck with halt-dcveloped horus and several
does They did not notice US TIL We were
whangci away, breaking the leg Of ono doc which ran
away, tho injured limb swinging like ropes end. A
e @ no, known When tho a'S Sss sno.
was hrcd and this calf In Its bewldermcnt camc right
toward Us, beAting ptfuly. IL would have starved
to DEATH and so We shot IT, and the veal proved TO be
very good The abundance Of game which chroni-
ced in my earlier from the survey has contin.
ued, but We have not quite many Individuals,
because the regions have traversed Of late have
been less open, sffordng more hiding places because
the mosquitoes and dies have driven them up above
the timber into the dense brush, and lastly, because
the Indians have been hunting through here for
weeks and have made the animals wary. We noticed
Before, eks and deer regarded US with an uucon.
Germ equal to that Seikirk complained OF on his lone
sland:-
The beasts that roam over the plain,
My form with Indifference see;
They acQuainte cd with
Their tameness 10 shocking 30
can't say that the tamcness OF these ssbeasts''
shocked as particularly; but We were loath to I'M.
pose their confidence that know OF but one
that has been shot useIessy. But lately the teope
have fed at our approach, and tho larger game have
i. ado themselves Our hunting propens,,ies
have consequently been excited, out somewhat fruit.
lessly not having time to hunt systematically. But
wo have not been single day since the beginning OF
the trip without at least two varieties OF vcnlson in
camp Sow belly has not been IN lively demand,
therefore, although lew bcs nicely cooked seasons
meal we'll
rnx BIG HORNS
Latterly we have struck the big norns which we had
nol seen since leaving The Semnoe nets. They are
the nobest OF gamc after ALL Much like sheep in
some particulars, and more ike tho channels or ibex
In others, tho man who would get them, even though
they never saw tho human torn before, must
have the strength and agility climb TO the loitiest
lcdgcs and skill 10 shoot at long range Even then he
may lose hts dead game, Its body often tumblng over
come precipce utterly ous Of hts reach The noun.
tains Of Green River are full Of them, and IN
making stations upon their SUBMITS the topog rapher
has good chance At them. Once or twice we
have had bands sight for two or three
hours at time, feeding upon the green hill tops be-
low US, where scattering ciumps OF dwarf spruces
furnished shelter when they cared to rest aud the
young grass afforded the best of pasture IL was very
interesting to watch ihem. An old ram Two, easily
distns uished by their immense horns from the ewes
whose horns are small aud hight, would lead the flock
and there would DO from ten 10 fifty younger rains
anu kids following. How they can run Let the
ground DO rough or smooth level or inclined, seems
~ make no difference, and the Kids will race up aud
down the steep snowDanks Just Tor fun. The hair OF
these mountain sheep is coarse and slightly crnkcy
and when the blush winter comes out
gradually The brown summer coat you may end
everywhere between the hairs a shorter coat
sort OF undcrshrt--oi the finest silky
wool Tho flesh OF the big is
tender and juicy in the autumn. when the
ANIMALS become tat, and has taste between mutton
and antelope. pariaking Of BOTH This community Of
characters Is expressed in the generic name Of tho
sheep, "ant.locaprn." We have seen ono small com
pany OF bunaocs west OF Green River, their skulls
arc scattered over all these hills up timber lna
This pientude of animal life and wealth Of all such
vegetation the climate Will permit tor the valleys
5000 feet IN hcight are both to the sheltered
position OF the district among the mountains and