80 WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS 
out looking where they leaped. The second 
bound landed them upon an icy pitch where 
everyone lost footing, fell, and slid several 
yards to the bottom of the slope. All regained 
their feet and in regular form ran off at high 
speed. 
Accidents do befall them. Occasionally one 
tumbles to death or is crushed by falling stone. 
Sometimes the weaker ones are unable to get out 
of deep snow. On rare occasions a mountain 
lion comes upon them and slays one or several, 
while they are almost helpless from weakness 
or from crusted snow. A few times I have 
known of one or more to be carried down to 
death by a snowslide. 
While the sheep do not have many neighbours, 
they do have sunny days. Often the heights, 
for long periods, are sunny and snowless. Some- 
times a storm may rage for days down the slopes 
while the sheep, in or entirely above the upper 
surface of the storm cloud, do not receive any 
snow. Among their resident neighbours are 
the cony, the white weasel, and flocks of rosy 
finches and white ptarmigan. In these the sheep 
show no interest, but they keep on the watch 
for subtle foxes, bob-cats, and lions. 
Snowfall, like rainfall, is unevenly distributed. 
At times a short distance below the snow-piled 
heights one or both slopes are snowless; at 
