362 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



According to Dr. Joseph Grinnell (1933), it ranged in the 

 high Sierra Nevada of California, from the vicinity of Sonora 

 Peak, in Alpine County, southward to southeastern Tulare 

 County; probably also this was the race formerly present on 

 the upper parts of the White Mountains in Mono County, 

 eastern California. At the date of writing this account, Dr. 

 Grinnell said that it was still to be found from the vicinity 

 of Mammoth Pass, Mono County, south to the vicinity of 

 Olancha Peak and the Kaweah Peaks, Tulare County. Its 

 altitudinal range extended from 5,000 feet (in winter) in Tulare 

 County up to 13,000 feet on the ridge east of Whitney Pass. 

 There was some evidence of an autumnal movement to lower 

 altitudes in fall and winter, on the eastern slopes of the Sierra. 



In a consideration of the present status of this sheep in 

 California, Dr. J. Dixon (1936) believes it is now in a very 

 precarious position. In various ways this is a result of human 

 influence, the chief factors being deer hunting, in the course of 

 which bighorns may at times be unlawfully killed though ac- 

 corded full legal protection, and grazing by domestic sheep on 

 the lower winter ranges, which results in the eating of food that 

 should be reserved for the bighorns. Intensive human intru- 

 sion in the form of summer camps is an added disturbing 

 factor. In September, 1935, Dr. Dixon knew of but a single 

 band still in existence, probably numbering seven animals, 

 near Mount Baxter. Testimony of deer hunters and others in 

 the region is nearly unanimous that some bighorns are shot 

 every year as camp meat and not for trophies. The critical 

 time is only about a month in the hunting season, so that by 

 bringing in a "roving ranger" at that period and by obtaining 

 the active cooperation of the Forest Service, which is with- 

 drawing domestic sheep from all parts of the bighorn's range 

 where they might compete with the latter for food, there is 

 still a chance for its survival. Those who have eaten it agree 

 that no other meat that the game animals of this continent 

 yield is equal to that of mountain sheep; hence arises the temp- 

 tation to hunters to kill an occasional animal for the pot, even 

 at considerable risk of detection. 



In Oregon this was a sheep of relatively low country, oc- 

 curring over most of the State east of the Cascade Mountains. 

 Bailey (1936) has gathered much detailed information on their 

 former presence, from which a few notes are here extracted. 



