ADVANTAGES OF DOMESTICATION. 47 



belief that no great difficulty would occur to prevent 

 their domestication. If such could be effected, great 

 benefit might result from the introduction of their wool 

 into our markets, as from its length, elasticity, and 

 fineness, it could be manufactured into the most supe- 

 rior class of cloths. 



Their rutting season occurs at the breaking up of 

 the autumn, when the cold and fitful winds of October 

 commence to warn us that warmth is gone, and snow 

 and ice are coming. The male, who generally is very 

 inoffensive, unless he chance to receive a wound inca- 

 pacitating him from escape, becomes now most quar- 

 relsome and vindictive, attacking with the greatest fury 

 whatever provokes his displeasure ; and woe be to the 

 white man or Indian who then meets him, if away from 

 a place of escape or unprovided with fire-arms. At 

 this time furious engagements take place among the 

 males, which sometimes continue till one or both of 

 the contestants are so much exhausted that they fall 

 an easy prey to the Indian's arrows or the tusks of the 

 large northern grey wolf. 



In May the female produces a single lamb, over 

 whose welfare the mother shows great solicitude. The 

 young, until three or four weeks old, are unable to 

 follow the parent, but are hid away in the manner 

 usual with deer ; the old lady, however, on such occa- 

 sions never wanders far from her offspring's hiding- 

 place, and on the least suspicion of danger rushes to 

 her offspring, prepared to do battle with all intruders, 

 whatever may be their size or appearance. The drop- 

 pings of these animals, with the exception of their 

 size, exactly resemble those of sheep. 



I will relate two anecdotes illustrative of the 



