THE FORESTS OF OREGON 



the ice and snow-fields as on the crags, making 

 their way in flocks from ridge to ridge on the 

 great volcanic mountains by crossing the gla- 

 ciers that lie between them, traveling in single 

 file guided by an old experienced leader, like 

 a party of climbers on thje Alps. On these ice- 

 journeys they pick then* way through networks 

 of crevasses and over bridges of snow with ad- 

 mirable skill, and the mountaineer may sel- 

 dom do better in such places than to follow 

 their trail, if he can. In the rich alpine gar- 

 dens and meadows they find abundance of 

 food, venturing sometimes well down in the 

 prairie openings on the edge of the timber- 

 line, but holding themselves ever alert and 

 watchful, ready to flee to their highland cas- 

 tles at the faintest alarm. When their summer 

 pastures are buried beneath the winter snows, 

 they make haste to the lower ridges, seeking 

 the wind-beaten crags and slopes where the 

 snow cannot lie at any great depth, feeding 

 at times on the leaves and twigs of bushes 

 when grass is beyond reach. 



The wild sheep is another admirable alpine 

 rover, but comparatively rare in the Oregon 

 mountains, choosing rather the drier ridges 

 to the southward on the Cascades and to the 

 eastward among the spurs of the Rocky Moun- 

 tain chain. 



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