THE MOUNTAIN SHEEP.— Continued from page 74. 
pursuit of man; the things they have 
most to fear are the avalanche and 
glaciers. The elements of danger, 
however, only serve to render its pur- 
suit more attractive to the ardent 
sportsman, and when in a country 
where it abounds, deer, antelope, and 
even elk are likely to be neglected for 
the Mountain Sheep. The flesh, too, 
is most delicious, and is regarded as 
much superior to any wild meat which 
the west affords. Hallock says that 
he knows of no more delicate dish than 
is afforded by a yearling ewe in good 
order seasoned with that wonderful 
sauce furnished by the free, open-air 
life of the plains and mountains. 
" The glory of fat cow pales, and even 
elk and black-tailed deer meat hide 
their diminished heads before the rare 
toothsomeness of a juicy saddle or the 
dripping ribs of a young and tender 
Bighorn." 
u To hunt the Mountain Sheep suc- 
cessfully the candidate for honors 
should have some experience with 
large game, should have the patience 
and endurance possessed only by the 
most enthusiastic sportsman, and 
should be a fair shot with the rifle. In 
the gray of the morning, before at- 
tempting to look for his game, he 
should seek the highest ground in his 
vicinity whence a wide view of the 
surrounding country may be obtained, 
and from this point, with the good 
glass that is an indispensable part of a 
hunter's outfit, he should search the 
little ravines and grassy meadows run- 
ning down from the hills. The sheep 
are always on the watch for enemies 
upon the lower ground, but rarely turn 
their glances to the heights, which, if 
disturbed, they will seek for safety." 
It is indeed marvelous that these 
animals should be able to descend with 
facility the most abrupt precipices and 
cross canons, the sides of which are 
almost vertical, and this has given 
rise to the idea that they can throw 
themselves from great heights, and 
striking on their horns, can rebound 
uninjured and alight on their feet. 
Indeed, this is somewhat imaginative 
as it is apparently unreasonable. It is 
on account of the vast size of the horns, 
and the fact that these are often bat- 
tered and splintered that this state- 
ment has been accepted as worthy of 
belief. It has been suggested, how- 
ever, that even if the animal's head 
could stand so great a shock, it's neck 
would not. If it were true, how could 
females and young males, whose horns 
are little larger than those of the goat 
descend the cliffs, which they do as 
actively and successfully as the old 
males? The fact is that the splintered 
condition of the horns of the bucks 
is due to their battles and their play 
at all times of the year. The feet of 
Mountain Sheep are precisely adapted 
for their life among the crags, and 
they seem to be able to cling to any 
surface which presents the slightest 
inequality. Only the Wild Goat could 
pass over the same dangerous places. 
May or June are given in some of the 
best works on natural history as the 
time when the young are brought 
forth. 
77 
