FAUNA OF THE YELLOWSTONE.
The universal curiosity of people to see what are popularly called
wild animals, especially those larger species which never frequent the
precincts of civilization, is a fact of which it is not easy to give a
philosophical explanation. In this country the rapid disappearance,
amounting almost to annihilation, of the large game is looked upon as
a great misfortune; and in later years there has arisen a fixed
purpose that protection shall be secured for the surviving remnants of
those species which once with the red man held possession of the
continent. The statutes of nearly every state give evidence of the
universality of this sentiment.
As a means of accomplishing such a purpose, no institution promises to
be more effectual than the Yellowstone Park. It ought, in this
respect, to be a complete realization of Catlin's dream. Its
importance as a game preserve was recognized in the Act of Dedication,
and has become more and more pronounced as acquaintance with it has
increased.
The Park is fortunately better adapted for this purpose than any other
tract of similar extent in America. It offers very little to tempt the
cupidity of man. Its mineral wealth is buried so deeply under the lava
that no miner will ever reach it. Its altitude and climate unfit it
for agriculture. Its forests, though excellent for shade, are of
little value for lumber. But as a home for the native species of the
continent, it possesses unrivaled advantages. These are admirably
summed up in the following paragraph from the pen of Prof. Hague:
[Illustration:
_Terry Engr. Co._ _Haynes, Photo., St. Paul._
Park Elk.]
"The broad expanse of forest incloses sequestered nooks, and enticing
grassy parks, with absolute seclusion in mountain recesses admirably
adapted for the homes of wild animals. It is the great diversity of
its physical features, offering within a restricted area. all the
requirements for animal life, which fits it for the home of big game.
Abundant food supply, shelter from wind and weather in winter, cool
resorts on the uplands in summer, favorable localities for breeding
purposes and the rearing of young, all are found here. The Park
supplies what is really needed--a zoological reservation where big
game may roam unmolested by the intrusion of man, rather than a
zoological garden inclosed by fences, and the game fed or sustained
more or less by artificial methods."[AV]
[AV] "The Yellowstone National Park as a Game Preserve." See Appendix
E.
[Illustration:
_Terry Engr. Co._ _Haynes, Photo., St. Paul._
Park Buffalo.]
It is a matter of profound regret that the many years of lax
administration in the Park to a great degree nullified its purposes as
a game preserve. Killing of wild animals was not absolutely prohibited
until 1883, and the restricted license previously in force was
shamefully abused. Some of the larger species were greatly reduced in
numbers, while in a few instances they were practically exterminated.
In later years, the elk, antelope, deer, bear and beaver, have rapidly
regained their former numbers, and there is no reason to apprehend
their extinction. There are now no fewer than 30,000 elk in the Park.
For the buffalo, mountain sheep, and a few other varieties, the
prospect is good, though not so flattering. The number of buffalo does
not probably exceed two hundred, and the possibility of their early
extinction has led the Smithsonian Institution to allot a sum of money
for the construction of a large inclosure in the Park, where at least
a portion of the herd can be kept and be thus more carefully
protected. Of the moose, mountain lion, wolverine, lynx, wild cat,
marten, and otter the perpetuation is more doubtful. They were too
much reduced in numbers during the game slaughtering era. The smaller
species, such as porcupines, foxes, gophers, squirrels, woodchucks,
and the like, flourish in great numbers.
The tourist often feels a keen disappointment in passing through the
Park in that he does not see more game, and he not infrequently
expresses positive doubts of its existence. He should remember,
however, that it is the nature of wild game to shun the haunts of man.
If he will remain for some time in the Park and will frequent those
regions remote from the tourists routes he will see game in plenty. In
one important instance he rarely goes away disappointed. Bruin
generally accommodates him. The fine instincts of that intelligent
brute have shown him that it is much easier to get a living from the
refuse about the hotels than to forage for it in the wilds of
parsimonious nature. Nightfall, therefore, always brings him about to
the great delight of the game-seeking tourist. The incidents of each
season to which these bears unwittingly give rise are among the
amusing features of tourist life in that region.
The herbivorous game generally seek the seclusion of the hills in
summer, but the deep snows of winter will not permit them to remain
there. At that season they descend to the valleys, of which the most
important are the Hayden, the Junction, and the Pelican Valleys, and
those about the headwaters of the Snake River. The preservation of
these tracts as a free winter pasturage is absolutely essential to the
perpetuity of game in the Yellowstone Park.
Although an ornithologist, in passing through the Park, would report a
list of native birds so extensive as to lead one to think that they
abound in great numbers, there is really a noticeable absence of the
winged tribes. There are birds, of course, but in numbers, variety,
and beauty not to be compared with those in lower altitudes. The only
varieties that would attract attention from any but specialists are
the larger birds, which are often quite plentiful about the lakes.
There are great numbers of pelicans, gulls, fish-hawks, and cranes,
with now and then a wild swan. Eagles are not uncommon, while hawks,
woodpeckers, and robins are frequently seen. The sharp-tailed or
willow grouse is common, and in the fall of the year astonishing
numbers of wild geese and ducks frequent the marshes. There are many
other varieties, conspicuous mainly for their paucity of numbers.
Piscatorially speaking, the Yellowstone National Park has no rival as
a paradise for the angler. The generous gift of nature and the
admirable work of the United States Fish Commission, supplemented by
the wise protection of the government, leave nothing to be desired by
even the most devout follower of Isaak Walton.
Not all the streams of the Park were originally stocked with fish.
Where the waters leave the great volcanic plateau and fall to the
underlying formations, the cataracts form impassable barriers to the
ascent of fish. In the lower courses of all the streams there were
native trout, but above the falls, with one exception, there were
none. The exception of the Yellowstone River and Lake is a most
interesting one. Why the Falls of the Yellowstone, the highest and
most impassable of all, should apparently have proven no barrier, is
at first a puzzling question. But the solution is to be found in
Two-Ocean Pass. Across this remarkable divide fish may easily make
their way, and the Yellowstone Lake is unquestionably stocked from
this direction. We thus have an example, probably without parallel, of
an extensive body of water on the Atlantic slope stocked by nature
with fish from the Pacific.
The trout of the Yellowstone Lake are to some extent infected with a
disease which renders them unfit for eating. In earlier times
particularly, this condition was generally prevalent. But more
recently the disease seems to be disappearing, and in time it will
probably die out altogether.
In 1889 and 1890, the United States Fish Commission undertook to stock
all the fishless streams in the Park, and planted about 83,000
yearling trout in the various streams and lakes. The varieties were
Brook, Lake, Loch Leven, and Von Behr trout. Recent examination of
these plants shows that all have taken decisive root, and that within
a few years there will not be a hidden stream or lake in the Park
which will be without its attractions for the sportsman.