384 SrORTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



peaks, where they are safe from nearly all foes except man 

 or the daring eagle. They seldom fall a prey to prowling 

 bear or panther, owing to the facility with which the latter 

 can procure food in the wooded regions below ; hence they 

 have few enemies to disturb the peaceful solitude of their 

 lives. While grazing, a flock has a sentinel to stand guard 

 and give notice of the approach of an enemy. The senti- 

 nel is always a male ; and when he detects the presence of 

 man or dangerous beast, he sounds an alarm in a few short 

 peremptory calls. This brings his companions huddling to 

 his side; and when all are assembled, the mothers and their 

 offspring being in the centre, they dash for the most inac- 

 cessible peaks at their best pace, and never stop until they 

 have placed a goodly distance between themselves and the 

 object of their suspicion. Once on safe ground, they throw 

 out vedettes again. These occupy some huge crag or ele- 

 vated knoll that commands a view of the surrounding coun- 

 try — which is generally treeless — and this enables them to 

 see all transpiring within range of vision. 



Since the settlement of the Pacific Coast the animal has 

 been driven to the very highest mountain ranges to find 

 food and security, and it is only near snowy pinnacles that 

 it may now be found. Judging from the conversations of 

 an old Indian in the Walla Walla Valley, in Washington 

 Territory, it formerly occupied the peaks of the Blue Moun- 

 tains, a range having an altitude of only five thousand feet; 

 but I doubt if a specimen can be found there now. The 

 Indians, to whom it was known as the wow, state that it 

 was very difficult of approach, owing to its vigilance, keen- 

 ness of scent, and the extensive view which the sentinels, 

 always on duty, had of the surrounding country. Their 

 most successful mode of hunting it was to drive a flock to- 

 ward a canyon, where a party was concealed, and to shoot 

 them as they dashed up or down the bluffs. They succeed- 

 ed sometimes in bagging one by means of pitfalls and 

 traps ; but they placed little dependence on such means of 

 capture, owing to the caution of the leaders. In many 

 places where it was formerly quite numerous, it has disap- 



