The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-26


trout, evidently come down Keppler's
| cascade, and a considerable number of
| the native mykiss. Several good speci-
| mems of rainbow trout have also been
| taken from the Little Firehole near its
mouth. i cannot account for the pres-
ence of the rainbow in this locality. as
it seems to me plainly impossible for
any fish to ascend the lower falls of the
! Firehole.
/ have never heard of any fish being
| taken from Shoshone or Lewis lakes
Il have seen fishes of apparently or
u pounds weight in Shoshone lake. and
a skeleton has been found on the shore
of Shoshone lake of a fish that prob
ably weighed 10 pounds. Two soldiers
OF troop ID, Fourth cavalry, reported hay
ing seen schools of trout two feet long
| near the mouth of De Lacy creek in
Shoshone lake.
In 1893 brook trout were planted i'm
| Shoshone creek. and these have thriven
amazingly; the stream is now literally
alive with trout from liz pounds
| down.
In 1895, 500 black bass were planted
/ in some small landlocked lakes in the
Firehole basin; nothing has been seen
of them since. and | fear that all have
/ persisted.
In the Yellowstone and both forks of
| Snake river. with most of their tribu-
| taries, the native mykiss is indigenous
| and remarkably abundant. In the Mad
/ ison river and its north fork the my
| kiss. whitefish and grayling are indig
enous; and in the Firehole river, be-
/ tween it's junction with the Gibbon
and the lower falls. the mykiss, rain
| bow, Won Baer, fontinalis, graylng and
| whitefish may be taken from the same
| pool.
/ believe that bass would thrive in
| the small lake near the Gardiner river
| where ice is cut for the post: also on
| Moose and Loon lakes in the Fails
| river meadows. and recommend that
| these lakes be stocked with bass. The
| former can be stocked at any time of
year; the latter only in summer.
i hope that a hatchery will be e5tdb-
| lished here, and some employe of the
| government instructed in the artificial
/ propagation of trout. A folding can
vas boat is much needed for ascertain
/ ing the condition Of plants made in e,r-
| eral lakes remote from a wagon road.
Birds.
Pelicans, geese, ducks gulls and
/ sandhill cranes are numerous. There are
some swans All of these birds nest
/ here. Ospreys, hawks and eagles are
| fairly numerous. There are a few
sharp tailed grouse, but in the main
| the altitude Is too great for them. the
/ big mountain grouse is fairly abund-
ant all over the park, and H. Gods OF the
ruffed grouse ale found in many places.
/
| but are very uncommon. The jay fam
i lily is represented by the magpie in
| some parts of the park. and by the
! Clarks crow, moose bird and crested
| jay in all parts The little water uuaCl,
a very curious and interesting bird,
i fairly common, especially on the Gar
diner and Gibbon rivers. Robins, king
fishers and other small birds abound.
Animals.
Buffalo--But very few buffalo have
been reported this season. The scouts,
| however, seldom see much sign in the
| summer, and now the few remaining
buffalo are scattered and range ia the
| most remote and inaccessible parts of
! the park in summer. ! am confident
| Of finding twenty-five this winter when
| the snowshoe season sets in. and hope
there are nearly double this number
in the park Since Idaho has forbid-
den the killing of buffalo-as have Mon.
tana and Wyoming have strong
hopes of being able to protect them
i from further slaughter by p0achcrs.
| Whether they will still decrease on ac-
count Of natural causes only time can
tell. \ strong effort is being made to
protect them and to save the remnant,
! IL possible
/ Moose.-Moose are becoming quite nu-
! merous in the south part of the Park.
| and particularly In the southern forest
| reserve, where / believe there are more
/ moose IMAM III All the rest bl the I'afk.
4 There are rumOrS Of a band between
/ Mammoth Hot Springs and Grand can
/ yon, but this rumor will not he verified
/ before snow falls. ! most earnestly
/ recommend that congress Ice urged 20
/ include the forest reserve in the Park.
! This reserve is noN under charge Of the
i Park management with orders to pro-
/ tcct the game therein. The only praCti-
j cal change which would take place in
the status of this strip, We're il included
] in the park proper. is that the law of
/ May s, 1894. would then apply to ii. and
/ poachers could be prosecuted and pun
ished by law. whereas now it is only
I under executive orders
/ lk.-Notwithstanding the hard win
/ ter of 1862. which killed many elk
/ and drove many more out of the park
/ there is no perceptble diminution IN
their number. | believe that more than
4 5000 winter in the park, and that at
/ least $4,000 leave the park IN the au-
tumn To winter in the lower country.
| happened to be AT the south bound
AIRY of the forest reserve this year just
after the first sn0Wstorm on Oct. Il and
IA. The country about jackson lake was
4 literally alive with elk, and from the
best estimates | believe that 10000
| crossed the south boundary this fall.
Many go down the Madison To winter.
| some down the Gallatin. and some down
the Yellowstone. All that survive the
winter return To the park to raise their
young as soon as soon as the snow viii
permit their return. OF those that win
ter IN the park, the largest herd ranges
north Of the Yellowstone river, in the
country that It has been 50 often pro-
posed TO cut off from the park | doubt
if any more would ever winter in the
park under any circumstances If this
should happen. The park furnishes an
ideal summer range for 10000 elk, but
there is not enough winter range for
fourth that number.
Sheep.-There are several bands Of
sheep that range along the higher noun
tains OF the Park. a very fine hunen
winters close 10 tho post. on the slopes
Of Mount ENerts This bunch numbered
about 50 last winter. There are smaller
punches in the northeast corner OF the
park, some along the range between
Swan Lake fiat and the Madison basin.
and considerable number in that por-
ton of the forest reserve east Of the
park, Ii is difficult q make an estimate