318 THE MOUNTAINS OF CALIFOKNIA 



grips and holds well on smooth rocks, but fits into 

 small cavities, and down upon or against slight 

 protuberances. Even the hardest portions of the 

 edge of the hoof are comparatively soft and elastic; 

 furthermore, the toes admit of an extraordinary 

 amount of both lateral and vertical movement, al 

 lowing the foot to accommodate itself still more per 

 fectly to the irregularities of rock surfaces, while 

 at the same time increasing the gripping power. 



At the base of Sheep Rock, one of the winter 

 strongholds of the Shasta flocks, there lives a stock- 

 raiser who has had the advantage of observing the 

 movements of wild sheep every winter; and, in 

 the course of a conversation with him on the sub 

 ject of their diving habits, he pointed to the front 

 of a lava headland about 150 feet high, which is 

 only eight or ten degrees out of the perpendicular. 

 " There," said he, "I followed a band of them fel 

 lows to the back of that rock yonder, and expected 

 to capture them all, for I thought I had a dead 

 thing on them. I got behind them on a narrow 

 bench that runs along the face of the wall near the 

 top and comes to an end where they could n't get 

 away without falling and being killed ; but they 

 jumped off, and landed all right, as if that were the 

 regular thing with them." 



" What ! " said I, " jumped 150 feet perpendicular ! 

 Did you see them do it ? " 



"No," he replied, "I did n't see them going 

 down, for I was behind them ; but I saw them go 

 off over the brink, and then I went below and found 

 their tracks where they struck on the loose rub 

 bish at the bottom. They just sailed rig Jit off, and 



