THE SHEEP. 



Hunter and dead Mountain Sheep. 



Hunting the Rocky Mountain Sheep. 



It is extremely difficult to capture the Rocky Mountain Sheep alive ; and it is utterly impossible to 

 preserve" them, when taken in any other region than that in which they are found. " Theirs," says Mr. 

 Sage, in his Scenes in the Rocky Mountains, " is a life of unbroken spring— beauty and grandeur are 

 their dwelling-place, and, amid the awe-inspiring sublimity of nature's works, is their home. They gambol 

 upon the fearful verge of the steep cliff", or climb its perpendicular sides!rbidding defiance to all pursuers. 

 There, secure, from enemies, they rear their young, and teach them to leap from crag to crag in 

 mirthful gaiety, or traverse the dizzy heights in quest of the varied sweets of changeful spring. 



" These animals are remarkably acute of sight, and quick of scent and hearing. The least noise or 

 tainture of the air excites their attention and places them instantly upon the alert. Mounting upon some 

 high rock, they will stand for hours in the same posture, gazing in the direction of the fancied danger. If 

 fully satisfied of its reality, they abandon their position for another and a safer one, high among more 

 rugged peaks, and often beyond the possibility of offensive approach. Their hue is so akin to that of the 

 rocks which grace their range, they are with difficulty identified when standing motionless, and the hunter 

 is constantly liable to mistake the one for the other." 



" During our stay," continues Mr. Sage, " we succeeded in killing five Mountain Sheep. Some of these 

 were very large and quite fat. The flesh of this animal is equal in flavor to that of buffalo. It is generally 

 in good order, tender and sweet, and slightly assimilates our common mutton in taste." 



Their ponderous horns are of great service to their owner in descending the abrupt precipices, which his 

 habits so often render necessary. In leaping from an elevation he uniformly strikes upon the curve of his 

 horns, and thus saves himself from the shock of a sudden and violent concussion. Instead of wool, they 

 are covered with hair, which is shed annually. Their cry is much like that of domestic Sheep, and the 

 same natural odor is common to both. Several naturalists have said that the Musmon of the south of 

 Europe, the Argal of Asia, and the Wild Sheep of America, are only clinaatal varieties of one great species, 

 which tbey have named the Mountain Sheep ; but whether this is a fact we have no means of ascertaining. 



