i86 CANADIAN NIGHTS 



ram standing on some jutting point of a precipitous 

 cliff amidst the grandeur of the mountains which 

 are his home. It requires a good deal of patience 

 and perseverance to hunt the mountain sheep suc- 

 cessfully. As a rule they are to be found on the 

 highest peaks and the most inaccessible positions of 

 the range, though in the rutting season, if you are 

 fortunate enough to find a locality inhabited by 

 sheep and undisturbed by man, they will come 

 down and may be met with and killed with com- 

 parative ease. To hunt the animal with success, 

 you must have a tolerably accurate idea of his 

 manners and customs. The mountain sheep in 

 Colorado come down to the foothills in the early 

 spring, and return with their lambs about a month 

 or six weeks old in the month of June or July. The 

 old rams stay up on the mountains, and seem to 

 seek the highest crags for shelter, even during the 

 terrible storms of winter. Of course the snow 

 never lies on the more precipitous parts of the 

 mountains, and there is plenty of long grass for 

 them to feed upon, and they appear to prefer the 

 shelter they obtain among the caves and caverns 

 of the rocks to coming down lower on to more 

 snow-encumbered regions, and seeking safety 

 amongst the timber.* They are very fond of alkali, 



