Mountain Sheep. 22 9 



join the herd, which may range in size from a dozen to 

 four or five times as many individuals, generally approach- 

 ing nearer the former number. The ewes, lambs, and 

 yearling or two-year-old rams go together. The young 

 but full-grown rams keep in small parties of three or four, 

 while the old fellows, with monstrous heads, keep by them- 

 selves, except when they join the ewes in the rutting sea- 

 son. At this time they wage savage war with each other. 

 The horns of the old rams are always battered and scarred 

 from these butting contests which appearance, by the 

 way, has given rise to the ridiculous idea that they were 

 in the habit of jumping over precipices and landing on 

 their heads. 



Occasionally the big-horn come down into the valleys 

 or along the grassy slopes to feed, but this is not often, and 

 in such cases every member of the band is always keeping 

 the sharpest look-out, and at the slightest alarm they beat 

 a retreat to their broken fastnesses. At night-time or 

 in the early morning they come down to drink at the 

 small pools or springs, but move off the instant they have 

 satisfied their thirst. As a rule, they spend their time 

 among the rocks and rough ground, and it is in these 

 places that they must be hunted. They cover a good 

 deal of ground when feeding, for the feed is scanty in 

 their haunts, and they walk quite rapidly along the ledges 

 or peaks, by preference high up, as they graze or browse. 

 When through feeding they always choose as a resting- 

 place some point from which they can command a view 

 over all the surrounding territory. An old ram is 

 peculiarly wary. The crest of a ridge or the top of a 



