WILD LIFE NOTES.

Members of the Mountaineer party who have just returned from the climb over the Kautz route, from Van Trump Park to the summit, report that on the decent a mountain goat followed the part of sixteen for about a half mile. After satisfying his curiosity he turned off the trail in the direction of Success Cleaver.

Government Hunter, Charles Stoner saw a cougar on Tahoma Creek this week which proceeded to establish the fact that the big cats can climb mountains as well as trees. It climbed directly over the rugged peak of Mount Wow. One of Mr. Stoners dogs was lost among the rocks near the summit. The cougar escaped.

ALPINE FLOWERS.
By: Fred Warren, Ranger-Naturalist.

As one leaves the fields of colorful flowers in Paradise Valley going to the fields of eternal snow and ice, a great change is noticed in the plant life. Leaving the valley one sees the paint brush; the yellow, red, and white heathers; the shooting stars; the valerian and the green hellebore. Advancing up the slopes one may see the earlier flowers of the year such as the avalanche lily and the western anemone. At an elevation of 6,500 feet and beyond, the few alpine firs become very dwarfed. The plants are much smaller than those below. Some of the most conspicuous ones are the phlox, Lyall's lupine, the folden aster and the yellow heather, which takes the place of the red heather of the lower slopes. Between the elevation of 6,500 feet and 8,500 feet, the plants remain somewhat the same, only that they are not as far along in growth. There are several plants that will not be found below, such as the smelewskia, spraguea and the alpine Jacob's ladder.

In some places where there is a little more moisture, will be found a few grasses and grass like plants. Between the elevation of 9,500 feet and 10,000 feet are very low plants. Only two were seen, the smelewiskia and the Jacob's ladder.