394 SrOIiTING ADVENTURES IN TEE FAB WEST. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



THE BIG-HORN, OE MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 



The Big-horn, or Mountain Sheep. — Its Haunts and Habits. — Character- 

 istics required to Hunt it successfully. — Its Caution and Vigilance. — 

 Order of a Flock in Flight.— Hunters' Tales of its Nimbleness.— Pug- 

 nacity of the Males.— Contest between a Wolf and a Big-horn.— Size of 

 Rams. — Measurement of Horns. — The Rutting Season. — Flocks of Old 

 Rams. — Best Time for Hunting them. — Stalking Exercise. — A good 

 Rifle. — Usefulness of a Field-glass. — Indian "Sheep-eaters." — Pemmi- 

 can.— My First Hunt.— A Kill.— Stalk a Flock.— Detected.— The As- 

 sembly.— Result of a Fusillade.— Tedious Chase after an Old Ram. — I 

 get Butted over. — A tardy Capture. — Flavor of wild Mutton Cutlets. 

 — Dogs for Sheep-hunting. — A Hunt in the War Eagle Mountains. — Our 

 Success. — A Cougar scared. — "Dancing" Sheep. — Big-horns waiting 

 for their Leader. — Adventure of the Guide with a War-party of Indians. 

 — Defeat of the Latter. 



The only species of the Ovidce found wild in the United 

 States is the so-called big-horn, or mountain sheep ( Ovis 

 montana), which is confined geographically to the moun- 

 tainous regions of the Far West. It is closely allied to 

 the Ovis amnion of the Himalaya Mountains, and differs 

 from it mainly in size, being about one-third smaller, and 

 the corrugations of the horns are also somewhat different. 

 Amidst the many-shaped crests of the "Western mountains 

 this nimble creature loves to dwell, for there it finds an 

 abundance of dainty food in the tender alpine and sub- 

 alpine vegetation, and is free from nearly all foes except 

 an occasional red or white hunter. A rather active war- 

 fare has been waged upon it lately, however, in certain por- 

 tions of the Territories, especially in Colorado, Wyoming, 

 and Utah ; hence it is getting rather wild and scarce in 

 these regions ; but in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washing- 

 ton Territory, and portions of British America it is almost 

 as abundant as ever, and in some places more so, as the 



