THE COUNTRY OF THE BLACK SHEEP 



261 



gray; the lambs are sometimes almost 

 white. I have seen only one big-horn 

 lamb, and it was darker than the young 

 of the black sheep. Stone's sheep is 

 white on the belly, rump and on the 

 inside of the legs. The darkest parts 



high country, where they remain until 

 cold weather sets in. In the late fall 

 they join the ewes for the rut, and at 

 this time the bands are often very large. 

 In the Cheeonee Mountains there is a 

 "lick" where the Indians kill a number 



are along the white of the belly, the of sheep every spring. As a mountain- 

 outside of the forearm and the flanks. eer the wild sheep is without an equal. 

 The pelage is short. Goats perform feats in climbing 



I have killed ^~&=~*^*g>~ equal to those accomplished ty 



the Ovis dalli ^^^?^^^^^^v sheep, but goats work their way 



with much long- 

 er, and thicker 



HEAD OF STONE S SHEEP. 

 KILLED ON THE STIKINE RIVER 



slowly over rough 

 ground, overcoming 

 difficulties by sheer 

 strength, where sheep 

 would move with a 

 dash that leaves the 

 hunter spellbound. 



The Ovis stonei has 

 fewer enemies than 

 most of our big game 

 animals. The cougar, 

 who levies his tax on 

 the big-horn, i s n o t 

 found in the black 

 sheep country. Bears 



hair than I have ever seen 

 on Stone's sheep. The 

 horns are of great sym- 

 metry and beauty. They 

 spread much more than the 

 big-horn head, and are sel- 

 dom "brushed" or blunt- 

 ed, as is often the case with 

 the latter. I have seen 

 only one Stone head that 

 was blunted, and in that 

 case the horn was broken 

 as the ram rolled down the 

 mountain side when it was 

 shot. In adult rams the 

 top of the horn turns over, 

 making a groove that ex- 

 tends for a distance of about eight are too clumsy to be of much danger, 

 inches from the head. The wolf is perhaps the sheep's worst 



In habits the black sheep does not dif- enemy, although eagles undoubtedly de- 

 fer in any way that I know of from stroy many lambs. Thanks to the diffi- 

 other sheep. The ewes, lambs, and culty of reaching their haunts, it will be a 

 young rams gather in bands during the number of years before the black sheep 

 summer. The old rams retire to the are molested to any extent by sportsmen. 



HEAD OF OVIS MONTANA 



KILLED IN SOUTHERN BRITISH 



COLUMBIA 



