CLIMBING FOR WHITE SHEEP 225 



ptarmigan, then skinned and butchered the animals. 

 The horns of the first sheep measm-ed as follows: length 

 on curve 38| inches, girth 13§ inches, spread of tips 20^ 

 inches. Those of the second were: length 35| inches, 

 girth 12f inches, spread 20| inches. We estimated the 

 weight of the larger animal at more than 250 pounds. 



The white sheep {Ovis dalli) of the Kenai Peninsula 

 has narrow-spreading, close-curling horns of considerable 

 length, while its close relative of the White River country 

 bears wide-spreading horns which are even longer. The 

 White River variety is unquestionably the handsomer 

 and is hardly surpassed by any wild sheep. 



Bill cut about fifty pounds of meat and fat off the 

 larger ram and with the two heads and this load we 

 started homeward at two o'clock. Orders had been left 

 for Fritz to follow our trail, after he returned from 

 Benjamin Creek cabin with the supphes which we had 

 sent him for, and we were not more than ten minutes on 

 the road when he came in sight. 



We counted fifty-six sheep this day, twenty on the 

 side of the river where the cabin was and thirty-six on 

 that where we had done our hunting. 



As we now had plenty of the best meat we stayed in 

 camp all the ensuing day, skinning out the heads, wash- 

 ing the scalps in cold water to get the blood off and 

 enjoying the good living which our luck had brought us. 



The next day that we did go out was blank in game, 

 as we did not fire a shot, but one of the longest and most 

 enjoyable tramps that we took during the month of our 

 hunting in the Kenai Peninsula. Altogether we saw 

 about one hundred sheep. Following our track of two 

 days before we went beyond the point where we had 

 shot the first two and traveled the slopes of the moun- 



15 



