The Press., 1917-03-01
THE PARK RANGER
His Work In Guarding Uncle Sam's National Reservations.
HE MUST BE A CLEVER SCOUT.


 craft and vsrssd In All the Arts of
 Cunning and Caution, ls the Model
 He Is Supposed to Initiate.
 To be able to render the best serv- tes In patrolling the park ranger must be properly armed. mounted and cloth cd. He must feel that his weapons are superior to those in the hands of any outlaw to whom he may be opposed His mount must be swifter and his clothing adequate to protect him against the rigors of the climate of his locality"
 Thus spoke Colonel l.. NJ. Brett. s. A.. superintendent of the Yellow stone at a national parks conference Colonel Brett is one of the most ex perIenced Indian lighters In the na tOnal service,
 "A park ranger about to start on his Journey. in addition to his arms, horse and equipment. should have a piece Of canvas with which he can make can vas shelter effective against any weather. ratiOns ample for the jour ney, cooking utensils, 1eldglasses, Il map of his park and contiguous terri tory. compass. notebook and pencil. ax- first aid packet and telephone tester As soon as he leaves the ranger stat lion he becomes a scout who must op pose his wits and energy against those whose life Is spent in the open among the wild animals and who have taken
 Fh oh Istics that we know are possessed by the fox. the coyote. the timber wolf and the mountain lion. He who rides the trafl I'm a perfunctOry and aimless manner k but a joke to such men.
 'To cope with such people he must learn from the Indian. who avnils him self of every sign and indication that nature or wild life can give The In, dian never places himself upon the sky line until he Is thoroughly satisfied that there Is nothing within the range of vision to detect him. He will lie some times for an hour with his head against a bush, feldglaSseS to his eyes. and scan the country. and then again scar 1t for any sign of human life or for any movement among the wild animals which indicates the stranger in theiF midst.
 The scout does not remain on the trail that has been beaten by somebody else-his enemy would not be there but he Is taking advantage of every in equality of the ground. of swale and the eOulees. the branches of trees along the stream banks and the shady side of every ridge. observing carefully for indications of trails. fresh signs of horse or any imprint of the foot. His eye must be so trained that even the bending Of the grass would tell him q story and would arouse his suspicion.
 He should never build fire by day light in the country where he has req son to believe the enemy may be lurk, ing. At night. tn some canyon or in some sheltered spot where the blaze can be seen but few feet. he can build his small fire and cook his fool for the evening and the next day. It Is well for him to have enough food cooked ahead so that he can remain on the trail or in pursuit of an enemy for for ty-eight hours without having to stop 10 cook.
 ~ln his moments of leisure when resting he should make careful notes of all that he sees and anything out of the ordinary that. he cannot under stand should be carefully described so that he may present this to his supe riOr officer on his return for interpreta tiOn. When he is called to points re mote from his usual patrol route he should indicate such a Journey on his map by use of his compass He should be careful to note the condition of the animals ana whenever possible tC count those of the different species for the information of headquarters.
 Any indication Of sickness among the animals k of the greatest lmpOr tnnce and should be reported at once because epidemics are almost as fire quent among animals us among hu man beings Interference in any way shape. or manner with the uatura formations should be reported Dead fish on the surface of the water k q dangerous symptom and would indi cate fishing by use Of explosives. and generally speaking any indication thai nature or any of her creatures has been disturbed should be given tht closest scrutiny and reported tO tht officer in charge.
 Men who will lend themselves con scientluusly to this work are not com mon. and In their training it Is of th' greatest importance that their facul ties or observation be cultivated t0 th' extreme limit. These men must feel | pride in the work and strive to have their section the very best patrollet one within the park. We will not ge force sufficiently educated along th lines that have indicated unless W all unite in systematic work and in struetion. which cannot be too compre hensive nor too painstaking."