Liard River Bighorn 215 



were known to descend in winter, threading the dense forest of the 

 mountain slope, and in this locality they constantly traverse the pine and 

 cedar thickets. They will also frequent isolated buttes on the prairie, 

 from which they must cover a long distance to reach the bad-lands, and in 

 such situations they have often been pursued by horsemen. In these chases 

 the rams outstripped the ewes. I have shot them on level ground, on 

 which, in my opinion, they can run as fast as mule-deer ; but they offer an 

 easier mark for the rifle than either deer or prongbuck, having neither the 

 bounding gait of the former nor the incredible swiftness of the latter. I 

 have seen a whole Hock lie down at once in the bad-lands, but this is not a 

 favourable time to creep up, as many are on the ledges of high buttes 

 commanding the entire country, except to windward. Rather when they 

 are feeding over ridges, and moving incessantly, can the coveted chance be 

 obtained. As may be inferred from the above, these sheep are not so rare 

 as generally supposed, and in out-of-the-way places they may still be seen 

 in considerable numbers. 



In November 1895, o" ^^^ bad-lands above the Missouri river, 

 Montana, I saw a larger liock than I had imagined could be found in this 

 region. Signs of their presence had been noticed, when a large flock 

 moved slowly over a small ridge about 300 yards distant, and passed out of 

 sight, being immediately followed by a procession of twenty-five others in 

 single file, among which were some enormous rams. As the first division 

 was densely massed, they could not be counted, but there must have been 

 at least fifty individuals in the entire flock. 



c. Liard River Race — Ovis canadensis liardensis 



Characters. — Stature about equal to that of the Rocky Mountain race. 

 Horns of adult male slender, with a sharp keel on the outer front edge, and 

 their tips pointed, entire, and directed largely outwards. Ears small, short. 



