ENROUTE TO THE HUNTING GROUNDS 



At this late day, of course it seems odd to read 

 of a doubt cast at the habitat of the ovis cana- 

 densis^ as shown herein by General Allen, but 

 when one reflects that his book was written about 

 thirty-five years ago, it is not amazing. It is 

 amusing to note the two very distinct animals 

 described respectively by Billy Wooden and Gen- 

 eral Allen. Billy Wooden's animal of mystery 

 was distinctly a goat, except for the horn and 

 front hoof formation, while General Allen's was 

 a sheep. There could, of course, be no connection 

 between the two forms, according to the descrip- 

 tions given. Naturally, when we hear of such 

 reports, the first thing that enters our mind is 

 that no hunter has ever been able to secure and 

 preserve one of the skins, and secondly, that none 

 of these specimens has ever reached any of the 

 many natural history institutes of our country 

 that would be so very anxious to secure them at 

 a substantial cost. I believe I can solve the Allen 

 myth by suggesting that it might be a young 

 mountain sheep ram or an old female, with 

 slightly curved horns. But Billy Wooden's ibex 

 has simply got my "goat," for I cannot fathom 

 it. Rumors of ibexes having been seen in the 

 States are very old. Other unnatural forms of 

 wild life have also been reported, but when run 

 down they have usually turned out to be about 

 as authentic as the stories of the philaloo bird 

 and the side-hill gouger. 



43 



