American Big Game in its Haunts 



ally drive them to the pass where the hunter lay. 

 I remember following along this ridge, and then 

 on another ridge that went on toward the Clark 

 Fork ridge to quite a high little peak, and on top 

 of this peak was quite a large bed for a man to 

 lie in. He could watch there until the sheep should 

 pass through, and then he could come out and 

 drive them on." 



AGENTS OF DESTRUCTION. 



The settling up of much of their former range, 

 with pursuit by skin-hunters, head-hunters, and 

 meat-hunters, has had much to do with the reduc- 

 tion In numbers of the mountain sheep, but 

 more Important than these have been the ravages 

 by diseases brought In to their range by the domes- 

 tic sheep, and then spread by the wild species 

 among their wild associates. For many years it 

 has been known that the wild sheep of certain por- 

 tions of the Rocky Mountain region are afflicted 

 with scab, a disease which In recent years seems to 

 have attacked the elk as well. Testimony Is abun- 

 dant that wild sheep are killed by scab as domestic 

 sheep are. On a few occasions I have seen animals 

 that appeared to have died from this cause, but 

 Mr. Hofer, to be quoted later, has had a much 

 broader experience. 



286 



