Wilderness Reserves 



the cliff, and hardly ever going more than a few 

 yards back into the grassy plain-and-hill country. 

 Their tracks and dung covered the ground. They 

 had also evidently descended into the depths of 

 the canon wherever there was the slightest break 

 or even lowering in the upper line of basalt cliffs. 

 Although mountain sheep often browse in winter, 

 I saw but few traces of browsing here ; probably on 

 the sheer cliff side they always got some grazing. 

 When I spied the band they were lying not far 

 from the spot in which they had lain the day be- 

 fore, and in the same position on the brink of the 

 canon. They saw me and watched me with in- 

 terest when I was two hundred yards off, but they 

 let me get up within forty yards and sit down on 

 a large stone to look at them, without running off. 

 Most of them were lying down, but a couple were 

 feeding steadily throughout the time I watched 

 them. Suddenly one took the alarm and dashed 

 straight over the cliff, the others all following at 

 once. I ran after them to the edge in time to see 

 the last yearling drop off the edge of the basalt cliff 

 and stop short on the sheer slope below, while the 

 stones dislodged by his hoofs rattled down the 

 canon. They all looked up at me with great in- 

 terest and then strolled off to the edge of a jutting 

 spur and lay down almost directly underneath me 



41 



