The Yellowstone Park 



mountains. An ideal bighorn country is 

 found in the Absaroka Range, where the bare 

 rocky slopes are interspersed with patches 

 of nutritious grasses. The size of their bands, 

 the frequent well-worn trails over the barren 

 rocks, and the occurrence of sheep '"sign" 

 everywhere, indicate conditions suitable to 

 sheep life. The head waters of the Stinking 

 Water and Thoroughfare Creek are among 

 their favorite haunts. In the higher regions of 

 the Gallatin they may occasionally be seen, 

 and, indeed, this may be said of the summits 

 of most of the peaks throughout the Park. 

 They are an agile, wary, keen-scented animal, 

 and apparently never so happy as when on 

 the jump. Next to the elk, they are probably 

 most sought by the horn-hunters and game- 

 butchers ; but with a little protection, and only 

 half a show, they are abundantly capable 

 of taking care of themselves. 



That buffalo were among the animals in- 

 habiting the Yellowstone Park was known in 

 the early days of its history; and that inde- 

 fatigable explorer and former superintendent 

 of the Park, Colonel P. W. Norris, soon recog- 

 nized the need of protection for them if their 



17* 261 



