HUNTING RAMS 217 



I had not perceived that the muzzle of another ram inter- 

 vened. The bullet, passing through the lower jaw, had 

 split in nine fragments, all of which penetrated the 

 shoulder region of the ram at which I was aiming. Three 

 of the pieces had passed through the heart and lungs, 

 tearing large holes, and were lodged under the skin on 

 the other side. At some time during its life that ram 

 had broken a foreleg, and I noticed that it had been 

 well joined and healed, though a large bunch remained 

 about the fracture. 



It was after seven in the evening when the last skin 

 was off. Jefferies having tied both skins and heads in a 

 pack, shouldered them, while I carried the hind quarters 

 of another. It required three hours to stagger down the 

 mountains and reach camp. 



July 31. The next day was spent preparing the skins 

 and skulls and constructing a suitable framework under 

 the trees, on which they could be hung to dry. The 

 horns of all were of the narrow type, the widest not spread- 

 ing over nineteen inches, and in the order killed their ages 

 were seven, nine, and ten years, respectively. The food 

 contents of their stomachs were the same as those of all 

 the sheep I have ever killed in subarctic regions during 

 the summer a variety of young, tender weeds, particu- 

 larly those of Dryas and mountain cranberry, scarcely 

 any grass, and bits of lichens taken incidentally when 

 cropping deep for the tender growth. 



That day Alaska jays visited our camp for the first 

 time, and after picking up a few pieces of meat, departed. 

 During the three weeks we remained there, this was the 



