Rocky Mountain Bighorn 9 



Sheep Rock, at the north-east base of the mountain, was one ot their 

 favourite and latest resorts, hut probably was not used during the breeding 

 season. In 1868 G. B. Mitchell saw a band of twenty near the head of 

 Mud Creek Canyon. In 1883 C. H. Townsend found numbers ot their 

 bones and horns scattered about everywhere on Sheep Rock, and saw the 

 complete skeleton of a bighorn at the foot of Mud Creek Glacier, high 

 up on Shasta." 



Since a comparatively full account of the habits ot the Rocky Mountain 

 bighorn is given in JVihJ Oxr//, S/icep^ and Goats, it will be unnecessary to 

 repeat it here. 



The following table, furnished by Mr. E. S. Cameron, showing the 

 progressive annual increase in the size of the horns ot this sheep in speci- 

 mens obtained in the Badlands of the Missouri and the Yellowstone valleys, 

 should be of considerable interest to sportsmen : — 



Bighorn skulls in the United States National Museum from the plains 

 of Western Dakota and Eastern Montana have been regarded by Dr. 

 Merriam ^ as indicating a race distinct from the typical bighorn ot the 

 Rocky Mountains of Montana and Alberta. For this form the name 

 0. canadensis audiihoni h^.?. been proposed. The chief points of distinction in 



* Proceedings Biological Society of Washington, vol. xiv. p. 3 I (igoi). 



C 



