IN THE FAR WEST. 339 



CHAPTER XIV. 



THE BIGHORN OR MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 



The bighorn or mountain sheep Its haunts and habits Characteristics 

 required to hunf it successfully Its caution and vigilance Order of 

 a flock in flight Hunters' tales of its nimbleness Pugnacity of tho 

 males Contest between a wolf and a bighorn Si/e of rains Measure- 

 ment of horns The rutting season Flocks of old rains Best time for 

 hunting them Stalking exercise A good rifle Usefulness of a field- 

 glass Indian " Sheep-eaters " Pemmican My first hunt A kill 

 Stalk a flock Detected The assembly Result of a fusillade Tedious 

 chase after an old rain I get butted over A tardy capture Flavour 

 of wild mutton cutlets Dogs for sheep-hunting A hunt in the War 

 Eagle Mountains Our success A cougar scared " Dancing" sheep 

 Bighorns waiting for their leader Adventure of the guide with a war 

 party of Indians Defeat of the latter. 



THE only species of the Ovldtz found wild in the United States 

 is the so-called bighorn or mountain sheep (Ovis moutana], 

 which is confined geographically to the mountainous regions 

 of the Far West. It is closely allied to the Or/.? atiimon of 

 the Himalaya Mountains, and differs from it mainly in size, 

 being about one-third smaller, and the corrugations of the 

 horns are also somewhat different. Amid the many-shaped 

 crests of the western mountains this nimble creature loves to 

 dwell, for there it finds an abundance of dainty food in the 

 tender alpine and sub-alpine vegetation, and is free from 

 nearly all foes except an occasional red or white hunter. A 

 rather active warfare has been waged upon it lately, however, 

 in certain portions of the Territories, especially in Colorado, 

 Wyoming, and Utah; hence it is getting rather wild and 

 scarce in these regions; but in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, 

 Washington Territory, and portions of British America it is 

 almost as abundant as ever, and in some places more so, as 

 the Indians can now procure pabulum in an easier manner 



/ 2 



