Glimpses of Nature

Glimpses of Nature By Wreno Bowers Sitting on a fallen log in Hoyt's Canyon, I was watching the •sunrise on Hoyt's Peak — the sunrise of a spring morning. The great book of nature was open before me and I was slowly turning the leaves. The canyon gorge resounded with a multi- tude of strange, passionless melodies, tinkling from afar like little waterfalls that babble down the mountain side, and ring- ing close at hand, like the high strains of the piccolo. On the surrounding flat a great largess of wild flowers raised their faces to the sun. Out above the timber line, in every opening between the drifts, the blue of the forget-me-nots contrasted with the pure gold of the alpine buttercups and the white of the marsh marigolds. The columbine and the harebell lifted shy heads in the timber, and the crimson of the painted cups flamed in relief against the silvery aspen trunks at the fringe of open parks. The shooting stars gladdened the glades with gold and the fire-weed splashed the hills with pink of coral. But over all dominated the wild rose, dancing every- where and flinging its perfume to the joyful breeze. All these things formed only a sitting or background for the wild life near by. The spotted breast of an Aubudon hermit 'thrush gleamed in the early sunlight at the spire of a tall, white balsam. A red-shafted flicker called out his "Wic-a-wac," his wooing song, from the forest. Then out of the tree-tops he flashed and hurtled past in a strong, bounding flight. A number of mountain chickadees flew about in the quaking-aspens, singing their bright little whistling songs. A humming bird was taking his morning's bath in the big dewdrops on the flowers — a tiny gem bathing in dewdrop jewels. A red-squirrel sat on a pine branch pouring down the wrath of squirrel heaven on all crea- tion. At a distance the little friendly chipmunk sat motionless on his favorite stump, his coat blending perfectly with the sun- shine and the wonderful forest colors. Log-cocks were drum- ming, kingfishers clattering, thrushes chiming their silver bells — everywhere animal life flourished. As I sat there marveling at the wonderful profusion of spring riot before me, and at the wild life that swarmed about me, my eye caught a movement across the canyon. At first I could make out only a great fulvous form coining straight towards me.

GLIMPSES OF NATURE 1069 I dropped to cover behind the log. Presently 1 could make out an individual elk coming at a wonderful trot — head high, muzzle up, ears alert to catch the slightest warning of any danger that may lurk in the shadows. He came on swiftly, magnificently, straight on towards the cover behind which I crouched with nerves thrilling as at a cavalry charge, — till he came to a small cliff. There he stopped for a moment and stood gazing across the narrow canyon — alert, motionless, a living statue glinted in the bright sunshine. As I watched him, it swept over me suddenly that the big wilderness would be incomplete without him. Gradually a change came over me and I wanted to hunt him, not for his life, but for himself, to learn all about him. Never before had an elk seemed so great, so strong, so wonderful as did he stand- ing there like a statue on the cliff, and coming across the moun- tain-side at his splendid trot — always strong, noble, magnificent in his freedom and lonelines, a perfect emblem of the great, lonely, magnificent wilderness. Finally he turned to the west and started at his wonderful trot again, and kept on steadily along the mountain-side until he vanished among the shadows of the pines. Kamas, Utah