FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT. 107 
gray moss, much resembling reindeer moss, and on which the 
White Sheep feed. 
But let it not be supposed for a moment that the flocks of 
Mountain Sheep are in the least confined to the treeless slopes 
or the timber at the upper edge of timber line. In fact, those 
may well be called their summer pastures. At the approach of 
winter they seek lower altitudes, and are much given to frequent- 
ing mountain ranges that are covered with pine timber opening 
into numerous glades, known as “ mountain parks.” It is essen- 
tial, however, that one side of the Mountain Sheep’s home ranch 
should fall away abruptly, in ragged lines of perpendicular rim- 
rock, with acres of slide-rock below, in order that the sheep may 
have the means of escape from their numerous enemies, particu- 
larly hunters. The rocky citadel of defence is quite as necessary 
as the grassy glades. , , 
I once had an illustration of the Mountain Sheep’s tactics on a 
mountain-top where the flock seemed poorly provided for means 
of escape. Two old rams were feeding at the edge of a mountain 
park, at an elevation of about 9,000 feet. The snow was four- 
teen inches in depth, with a slight crust upon it. When first seen 
they were in a fifteen-acre open meadow, near the edge of the rim- 
rock, bravely pawing through the snow to reach the longest of 
the dry, brown stems of bunch-grass that thrust their heads half 
way up through it. A few hours later, when one of these animals 
fell to my shot, he was found to be as fat and well filled with 
nature’s choicest hay as if he had been feeding at a generous 
manger instead of winning his food from under a foot of snow. 
On finding themselves objects of a hunter’s special notice the 
two rams quietly dropped over the sharp edge of the plateau, 
ploughed down a narrow cleft filled with slide-rock, and disap- 
peared. Pursuit on their trail led down to the foot of the 200- 
foot wall of rim-rock, and close along its base for a long distance. 
At last the trail went farther down, and dropped over the next 
lower wall of rim-rock, in a manner that seemed deliberately cal- 
culated to make pursuit more laborious. As a change of tac- 
tics, the hunt was kept up along the top of the rim-rock, but the 
quarry hugged the wall so closely that not even once was it 
sighted. It became evident that only by hours of patient work 
could those animals be encountered again, if at all. For the time 
being they made good their escape, and we hunted along the edge 
