The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-23

Tn . secluded spot toward the end of the second days march they discover ed the cache of a poacher. They were much surprised at this, as they had had no idea that there was any one in the Park killing game. The cache con sisted of a canvas tepee, sleeping bag provisions and toboggan. and they found six buffalo heads suspended in a tree nearby. A trace of fire in the tepee led the scouts to believe that the poacher was not far away. To capture him was the next move. It had been showing constantly all the morning, and all the snowshoe tracks leading from the camp were entirely obIiterat- ed. The scouts separated and went in different directions.
 When i've miles from the camp one of them heard a half dozen rifle shots in rapid success on. Fastening through the timber in that direction. he came upon an opening in the forest and saw the poacher. He had driven siE of the buffalo into the deep snow and had slaughtered the entire band. The scout was alone and armed only with a re- volver. Teachers of this kind are des- perate men. They know that the arm of the Federal Government Is long and It's grip sure once 1t seizes them. Therefore they fight to the lest. No desperado Is more reckless of his life. The scout knew all this. but did not hesitate for a moment It was stin showing hard, and neither the poacher nor his dog noticed the scouts ap- proach. The scout was within twenty feet of the poacher and had Him cov- cred with his revolver before he told him to throw up his hands moment more. and he was disarmed. Then he was handcuffed and taken to the guardhouse at Fort Yellowstone. He
 
 buffalo in the Park.
 EIks and Bears Very Comfortable in
 the Big Cold"
 There are about 25O buffalo in the Park now. To protect them more ef- fectuaily against poachers about 200 are kept in an inclosure and have be- como partly domesticated The re- mainder run wild in the country to the east of Yellowstone Lake
 Fully 5000 elk winter in the foothills of Mount Washburn, on Specimen Ridge, along the east fork of the YeI- lowstone and along the main stream of that river clear to the base of Mount Evarts. During the winter the elk live diameter. where they keep the snow trodden down. The bull eIks patrol these yards" at night so as to keep away the mountain lions and other animals that prey upon them.
 The elks shed their horns about the first of March. and until they grow out again lead a quiet life so that their sprouting horns will not be injured. At the time when they shed their horns they are still herded together. and now and then a scout will run across some secluded spot in the primeval wilder ness where the ground Is covered with two or three score of these great an- tiers, some of them six or seven feet long. They are allowed to remain where they are, for 1t Is not permitted to take them from the Park or even to use them for decorative purposes there. But before the end of the next winter they disappear. The field mice and other small rodents eat them.
 The bears that are seen around the hotels in the summer time. stealing garbage or fighting the searchlight when 1t is turned on them at night go into winter quarters in November or December and sleep until spring. There are hundreds of them, black, brown and grizzly. They go into caves or hollow logs or under the roots of trees that the snow will cover. There are many natural caves in the Park. Some times four or five bears will snUEsle