280 AUDUBON THE NATUKALIST. 



wMch to arrest tlie eye as a place where once 

 dwelt man I No ; we only know the Indian as 

 a wanderer, and we cannot say here stood the 

 strong fortress, the busy city, or even the hum- 

 ble cot. Kature has here been undisturbed and 

 unsubdued, and our eyes may wander all over 

 the scene to the most distant faint blue line on 

 the horizon which encircles us, and forget alike 

 the noisy clamour of toiling cities and the sweet 

 and smiling quiet of the well cultivated fields, 

 where man has made a "home" and dwelleth 

 in peace. But in these regions we may find the 

 savage grizzly bear, the huge bison, the elegant 

 and fleet antelope, the large-horned sheep of the 

 mountains, and the agile fearless chmber of the 

 steeps — ^the Kocky Mountain goat. 



This snow-white and beautiful animal appears 

 to have been first described, from skins shown 

 to Lewis and Clark, as "the sheep," in their 

 general description of the beasts, birds, and 

 plants found by the party in their expedition. 

 They say, "The sheep is found in many places, 

 but mostly in the timbered parts of the Kocky 

 Mountains. They live in greater numbers on 

 the chain of mountains forming the commence- 

 ment of the woody country on the coast, and 

 passing the Columbia between the falls and the 

 rapids. We have only seen the skins of these 

 animals, which the natives dress with the wool, 



