“From a natural history point of view, the upper valley is exceptional, due largely to the absence of visitors in the past. The Rocky Mountain goat (_Haplocerus montanus_) may be seen frequently, and his tracks are everywhere along the heights. During one of our visits a grizzly bear (_Ursus ferox_) was killed by Deutschman. The black bear (_Ursus americana_) is plentiful at the head of bear creek across Baloo pass, and it may be safely assumed that he does not fail to visit Cougar valley. Of the smaller mammals, the hoary marmot or whistler (_Arctomys Columbianus_) is plentiful in both the upper and lower valley, and is here found in large numbers, larger in size and giving forth a louder and more shrill whistle than in the main range of the Rockies. Its startling note is very human and resembles much the noise that delights the heart of the small boy, produced by placing the fingers between the lips. Say’s squirrel (_Spermophilus lateralis_) and Parry’s marmot (_Spermophilus Parryi_) are also found, the latter in great numbers. The Little Chief hare (_Logomys princeps_) is frequently seen disporting itself among the rocks, and its comical antics and quaint squeak, resembling that of a toy rabbit, are very amusing. “The birds are few, and in the upper valley are chiefly confined to the Ptarmigan (_Lagopus leucurus_), of which a flock may nearly always be seen, the water ousel or dipper (_Cinclus Mexicanus_), a funny little dark grey chap who flits from stone to stone along the cascades and falls of the valley, continually bobbing and dipping as though it were the object and aim of his existence. This bird has a very sweet note. Of other birds the black-headed jay (_Cyanocitta stelleri annectens_) and the Rocky Mountain Whisky Jack (_Perisoreus Canadensis capitalis_) are the most apparent. “Taken as a whole, this wonderful valley is worthy of a visit quite independently of the attractions offered by the Caves, and it would be difficult to find a more representative or better type of valley to illustrate the various phases of nature in the Selkirks—scenery, geology, natural history and botany.” It was in the year 1904 that Charles Henry Deutschman of Revelstoke, a British subject, while prospecting and hunting big game, discovered the Caves in series. The next person to enter the Caves after Deutschman was A. Johnston, editor of the Revelstoke _Mail-Herald_. Next, in May, 1905, a party of twelve persons, including W. S. Ayres, the mining engineer, Howard Douglas, superintendent of Rocky Mountains Park, and R. B. Bennett, the Associated Press correspondent at Vancouver and now member of the Dominion House representing Calgary, visited the Caves. Most of this party, however, returned to Glacier on the following day and left Messrs. Ayres, Deutschman, Johnston, Benson and Field to make further explorations. [Illustration: On the road to the Caves—Mt. Avalanche, Eagle Peak, Mt. Sir Donald.]