Mountain Sheep 



of the mountains during winter. I have not sufficient data to make 

 the assertion, but I am inclined to believe that the goat keeps consis- 

 tently to the hills, whatever the season may be, and in this differs 

 from the mountain sheep as he differs in appearance, temperament, 

 and in all characteristics, excepting the predilection for the inclined 

 plane; and in this habit he is more vertical than the sheep." Of 

 hunting them he adds; " There is no use in attempting to hunt them 

 from below. Their eyes are watchful and keen, and the chances are 

 that if you are working up from below and see a goat on the hill, he 

 will have been looking at you for some time. Once he is alarmed, ten 

 minutes will be enough for him to put a good many hours of climbing 

 between himself and you. His favourite trick is to remain stock-still, 

 watching you till you pass out of his sight behind something, and 

 then, he makes off so energetically that when you see him next he 

 will be on some totally new mountain. But his intelligence does not 

 seem to grasp more than the danger from below. While he is stead- 

 fastly on the alert against this, it apparently does not occur to him 

 that anything can come down upon him. Consequently from above 

 you may get very near before you are noticed." 



From the Copper River Mountains, Alaska, Mr. D. G. Elliot has 

 described a goat with very different skull and more divergent horns 

 which seems to represent a different species or geographic race. He 

 calls it Kennedy's mountain goat, Oreamnos kennedyi. 



Mountain Sheep 



Ovis cervina. Desmarest 

 Also called Bighorn. 



Length. 4 feet 6 inches. Height at shoulder, 3 feet 4 inches. 

 Length of horn around curve, 50 inches. Circumference at 

 base, 14 inches. 



Description. Body heavy, legs rather slender, hair everywhere 

 closely appressed, no mane or beard. Horns in female short, 

 in male very massive, curving backward and outward and 

 in old rams making a complete spiral circle. Colour grayish 

 brown, darkest on the back, under parts, inner side of legs, 

 upper throat and patch on rump and around the base of the tail 

 whitish; lighter and grayer in winter. (See frontispiece.) 



Range. Higher mountains from British Columbia to Arizona. Nearly 

 related varieties inhabit mountains to the north, south and west. 

 (See below.) 



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