218 
AMERICAN AGHlCULTUPaST. 
[June, 
MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 
[COPYRIGHT SECUKED.] 
(Ovis mowtana.) — From Studies by "Wji. H. Beakd.- 
The Rocky Mountain Sheep or Big Horn. 
{Ovis montana.) 
This is a giant sheep, one of the Moufflons, and 
closely allied to the Argali of Siberia, (Caprovis 
Argali), but not so large, and to the Aoudad or 
Bearded Argali of Northern Africa. It is found 
in the Rocky Mountains, and is of a solitary 
disposition, being not often found in larger 
flocks than 12 or 15, although sometimes per- 
haps as many as thirty may be found together. 
The male is remarkable for its immense horns. 
The writer of this has seen a pair measuring 3 
feet 4 inches in length, and used as rockers for 
a chair. They are of great strength, presenting 
an appearance as if they were transversely 
grooved. These animals jump from great 
hights, and are said to land on their horns. Old 
hunters affirm this to be true, and are ready to 
swear that they have seen them do so. The 
writer has seen them jump, and thinks it may be 
so. At all events, the horns always present a 
decidedly battered appearance, which, however, 
may come from their conflicts with one another. 
They are very difficult to approach, and upon 
the first appearance of dauger, the one first per- 
ceiving it utters a peculiar cry, sounding like a 
whistle, when they all scamper off to their hid- 
ing places in the rocks, from which they can 
not be hunted out. They frequent the most in- 
accessible places, and never come into the val- 
leys to feed, preferring to crop the small tufts 
of grass and herbage to be found upon the crags. 
Their wool or hair is short and thick, and would 
hardly be profitable for any manufacturing pur- 
pose,even if it could be obtained in large quantity. 
The flesh is excellent, being considered far su- 
perior in flavor to the finest mountain venison. 
Their color is variable, changing with the sea- 
son, from nearly white to a yellowish brown. 
The largest one ever seen by the writer, was 
nearly 3 feet 6 inches in hight at the shoulders, 
but this is an unusual size. They have been 
known to weigh as much as 350 pounds, but 
one of 225 to 250 pounds is about the average. 
The female differs from the male in size, and in 
the shape of the horns, which are small, and re- 
semble a goat's horns going straight back in- 
-Drawn and Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
stead of curling, like those of the male. Our 
engraving is composed, by permission, from 
sketches recently made by one of our first artists. 
Fremontia Californica. 
The English and other European horticultur- 
ists were last year much pleased with the flower- 
ing of one of our California shrubs, the Fre- 
montia, and — as we wish to keep our readers 
advised of whatever is receiving attention at 
home or abroad — we arranged to have it en- 
graved. A Boston Horticultural journal has 
recently brought out a figure, purporting to be 
the Fremontia,accompanied by an article "adapt- 
ed " from a French periodical, which gives so 
incorrect a representation of the flower that we 
are induced to publish our engraving, which we 
intended to reserve until some of our nursery- 
men should announce that plants could be had. 
"Why a journal styling itself ' Ameriean,".should 
go abroad for an account of an American plant, 
discovered hy an American explorer, first de- 
scribed by one of our own botanists, in one of 
