WILD SHEEP IN CAPTIVITY. 



HARRY E. LEE. 



On a recent hunting trip in Old Mexico 

 I had the pleasure of spending a few days 

 in El Paso, the gateway to that old and lit- 

 tle known but interesting country. While 

 enjoying the balmy sunshine and making 

 the acquaintance of a number of royal 

 Southern sportsmen, I had the good for- 

 tune to be allowed the privilege of taking a 

 photograph of this noble little animal. The 

 history of its capture is as follows : 



In February, 1902, Pedro Sorrillo, a 

 Mexican, was hunting in the Cerro Chino 

 mountains, State of Chihuahua, and shot 

 the mother sheep. The lamb was only a 

 few days old at the time and was carried in 

 the saddle in the hot sun without food or 

 water. At night a domestic she goat was 

 procured for it, and it nursed readily. It 

 was kept with this goat continuously until 

 last June, when Mr. C. H. Townsend. of 

 Townsend-Barber Zoological Company, El 

 Paso, happened to be in that section o*f 

 Mexico on a hunting and exploring trip, 

 and secured the prize from the Mexican. 

 Mr. Townsend took the lamb 20 miles in a 

 carriage to the railroad and over 90 miles 

 by rail to El Paso, simply tied with a small 

 rope around its neck. 



The day before getting on the train with 

 his little charge Mr. Townsend had an in- 

 teresting experience, and it was only 

 through good fortune that he did not lose 

 the lamb altogether. In the middle of a 

 burning afternoon, while tied in the shade 

 of the rude box car station at Sabinal, it 

 broke its rope and started for the hills. Un- 

 fortunately for Mr. Townsend, there was 

 no saddle horse near, and he was compelled 

 to give it chase on foot. Those who have had 

 experience in following a mountain lamb, 

 even though it be of tender age, realize 

 what Mr. Townsend had to contend with. 

 I once had a chase of that kind in Alaska 

 and still bear marks of my rough scramble 

 over rocks and crevices which it seemed 

 impossible for the little creatures to at- 

 tempt ; but they bounded on, heedless of the 

 seeming danger, and soon were safe on the 

 ledges far below, where no human, foot 

 could tread. Mr. Townsend was more for- 



tunate, and after a run of over half a mile 

 through the low brush and prickly pears, 

 he finally caught the lamb. It felt the sepa- 

 ration from its adopted goat mother and 

 wanted to nurse. 



MEXICAN WILD LAMB. 



In El Paso Mr. Townsend got 2 she goats 

 for it. As soon as it became acquainted 

 with them, which took several days, it 

 nursed energetically, dropping on its knees 

 like a flash and butting the udder repeat- 

 edly with its head. Since June it has been 

 eating alfalfa hay, green grass, oats 'morn- 

 ing and evening, raw potatoes, fruit, bread; 

 in fact, almost anything, even to cigarette 

 stumps, which it ate with a relish. It has 

 a great fondness for jumping. When but a 

 very small lamb it could strike the walls of 

 its enclosure, over 6 feet' from the ground, 

 and it now jumps much higher. It is a clean, 

 healthy animal, full of life, yet docile as a 

 tame sheep. It should by all means be in 

 one of our large zoological parks, as it is a 

 rare specimen, and from personal experi- 

 ence I find that these animals are scarce and 

 becoming more so every day. The few that 

 are left will be exterminated unless imme- 

 diate and stringent laws are enacted for 

 their protection. 



First Actress — I was beside myself with 

 rage. # 



. Second Actress— You certainly were. 

 Why, you quivered even in the places 

 where you were upholstered. — Life. 

 112 



