THE MOUNTAIN SHEEP 
some of these trips he was most successful, but in others, such as the 
Atlin and the Macmillan ranges, he saw plenty of sheep but failed during 
the short summer season to locate the rams. I mention Mr Sheldon 
frequently because he is the type of naturalist-hunter which those 
who desire to shoot sheep should follow. In this I do not mean that they 
should follow his old trails, but his pioneer spirit. The would-be hunter 
should study the map of Alaska and, if possible, select the virgin grounds 
which others have not as yet exploited. It is true that in such cases failure 
may be met with, but in such out of the way spots there are still great 
heads. 
There is one habit common to all wild sheep, from the great Ovis poli 
to the little mouflon, and it is well to be prepared for it. Mountain sheep 
often feed slowly up a steep hillside till they come to the ridge. Here they 
stand like statues and survey the landscape, whilst the hunter, who has 
perhaps been shivering for hours behind a rock, at last prepares for action, 
and to follow them. He knows that in a moment, when they are satisfied 
that no danger exists below, they will pass over the crest and will probably 
settle down on the other side. There! They have gone! The hunter is all 
impatience and if they were only deer he would be right in following them 
at once, for perhaps he could reach that high point and obtain a shot before 
they are out of range. But these are sheep, and sheep have a way of guarding 
the rear as well as the front. He must remain where he is for quite a while 
longer, for, just as he has made up his mind that they have gone for good, 
back comes an old ewe or a ram, who again takes a searching view of the 
landscape the band has recently quitted. Now, if the hunter had followed 
at once, as every hunter has done, it would have been a case of check- 
mate. So in sheep hunting, waiting is as necessary as dash. When the 
rear-guard has gone it is generally safe to make the ascent, for he seldom 
returns a second time. 
Like most of the other ungulates, wild sheep are great frequenters of 
44 licks,” which are places where the soil is impregnated with saline solu- 
tions. These spots are visited almost daily by sheep of all ages, and are 
often the favourite watching places for red men who require meat, and 
white men who wish to murder a fine animal without the trouble of hunting 
for it. It is curious that in cold weather sheep hardly come to these 44 licks ” 
at all. 
With regard to the tastes of the various races of American sheep, which 
certainly live for the most part on grass, the Alaskan and Stone’s sheep 
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