lO 
THE WILD SHEEP OF THE SIERRA. 
WILD SHEEP JUMPING OVER A PRECIPICE. 
spot, favorably situated with reference to 
the well-known trails of the sheep, they built 
a high-walled corral, with long guiding 
wings, diverging from the gate-way ; and 
into this inclosure they sometimes succeeded 
in driving the noble game. Great numbers 
of Indians were of course required, more, in- 
deed, than they could usually muster, counting 
in squaws, children, and all ; they were compelled, 
therefore, to build rows of dummy hunters out 
of stones, along the ridge-tops they wished to 
prevent the sheep from crossing. And, without 
bringing any discredit upon the sagacity of the 
game, these dummies are found effective ; for, 
with a few live IncHans moving about excitedly 
among them, they can hardly be distinguished 
at a little distance from men, by any one not 
in the secret. The whole ridge-top then seems to 
be alive with hunters. 
The only animal that may fairly be regarded 
as a companion of our sheep is the so-called 
Rocky Mountain goat [Aplocerus montana^ Rich.), 
which, as its name indicates, is more antelope 
than goat. He, too, is a brave and hardy 
climber, fearlessly accompanying the sheep on 
the wildest summits, and braving with him the 
severest storms; but smaller, and much less dig- 
nified in demeanor. His jet-black horns are 
only about five or six inches in length, and the 
long white hair with which he is covered must 
obscure the expression of his limbs. I have never 
yet seen a living specimen of this American cha- 
mois, although a few bands, it is said, have 
been found in the Sierra. In some portions of 
the Rocky and Cascade mountains it occurs in 
flocks of considerable size, where it is eagerly 
pursued by the Indians, who make use of its 
skin in various ways as clothing, that of the head 
with the horns attached being sometimes worn as 
a cap. 
1 hree species of deer are found in California — 
the black-tailed, white-tailed, and mule-deer. The 
first mentioned ( Cervus Colunibiaiius ) is by far 
the most abundant, and occasionally meets the 
sheep during the summer on high glacier mead- 
ows, and along the edge of the timber-line; but 
being a forest animal, seeking shelter and rearing 
its young in dense thickets, it seldom visits the 
wild sheep in its higher homes. The antelope, 
though not a mountaineer, is occasion- 
ally met in winter by the sheep while 
feeding along the edges of the sage-plains 
and bare volcanic hills to the east of the 
Sierra. So also is the mule- deer, which 
is almost restricted in its range to this 
eastern region. The white-tailed species 
belongs to the coast-ranges. 
Perhaps no wdld animal in the world is 
without enemies, but highlanders, as a class, 
have fewer than lowlanders. The wily pan- 
ther, slipping and crouching among long 
grass and bushes, pounces upon the ante- 
lope and deer, but seldom crosses the bald, 
craggy thresholds of the sheep. Neither 
can the bears be regarded as enemies ; 
