THE MOUNTAIN SHEEP.— Continued from page 74. 



pursuit of man; the things they have 

 most to fear are the avalanche and 

 glaciers. The elements of danger, 

 however, only serve to render its pur- 

 suit more attractive to the ardent 

 sportsman, and when in a country 

 where it abounds, deer, antelope, and 

 even elk are likely to be neglected for 

 the Mountain Sheep. The flesh, too, 

 is most delicious, and is regarded as 

 much superior to any wild meat which 

 the west affords. Hallock says that 

 he knows of no more delicate dish than 

 is afforded by a yearling ewe in good 

 order seasoned with that wonderful 

 sauce furnished by the free, open-air 

 life of the plains and mountains. 

 " The glory of fat cow pales, and even 

 elk and black-tailed deer meat hide 

 their diminished heads before the rare 

 toothsomeness of a juicy saddle or the 

 dripping ribs of a young and tender 

 Bighorn." 



" To hunt the Mountain Sheep suc- 

 cessfully the candidate for honors 

 should have some experience with 

 large game, should have the patience 

 and endurance possessed only by the 

 most enthusiastic sportsman, and 

 should be a fair shot with the rifle. In 

 the gray of the morning, before at- 

 tempting to look for his game, he 

 should seek the highest ground in his 

 vicinity whence a wide view of the 

 surrounding country may be obtained, 

 and from this point, with the good 

 glass that is an indispensable part of a 

 hunter's outfit, he should search the 

 little ravines and grassy meadows run- 

 ning down from the hills. The sheep 

 are always on the watch for enemies 



upon the lower ground, but rarely turn 

 their glances to the heights, which, if 

 disturbed, they will seek for safety." 

 It is indeed marvelous that these 

 animals should be able to descend with 

 facility the most abrupt precipices and 

 cross canons, the sides of which are 

 almost vertical, and this has given 

 rise to the ,idea that they can throw 

 themselves from great heights, and 

 striking on their horns, can rebound 

 uninjured and alight on their feet. 

 Indeed, this is somewhat imaginative 

 as it is apparently unreasonable. It is 

 on account of the vast size of the horns, 

 and the fact that these are often bat- 

 tered and splintered that this state- 

 ment has been accepted as worthy of 

 belief. It has been suggested, how- 

 ever, that even if the animal's head 

 could stand so great a shock, it's neck 

 w^ould not. If it were true, how could 

 females and young males, whose horns 

 are little larger than those of the goat 

 descend the cliffs, which they do as 

 actively and successfully as the old 

 males? The fact is that the splintered 

 condition of the horns of the bucks 

 is due to their battles and their play 

 at all times of the year. The feet of 

 Mountain Sheep are precisely adapted 

 for their life among the crags, and 

 they seem to be able to cling to any 

 surface which presents the slightest 

 inequality. Only the Wild Goat could 

 pass over the same dangerous places. 

 May or June are given in some of the 

 best w^orks on natural history as the 

 time when the young are brought 

 forth. 



77 



