QUOTES
ON BIGHORN SHEEP BY ENOS A. MILLS
The Bighorn sheep—the monarch of the mountain tops—sometimes looks
on at these feasts. He is at home among the crags in any season or condition
of weather, and travels over the steep and rocky prominences with as little
concern as though it were the most ordinary of accomplishments. Sheep
often cross the paths of deer and elk who go to these heights for choice
pasture, and at this season of the year it is not unusual to find both grazing
in some rich upland meadow.
Adventures
of a Nature Guide
Once I saw a large, dignified mountain sheep walk quietly across the grassy
opening. He did not see me. On reaching the farther edge he
turned about, recrossed the opening to the boulder pile and leaped upon
it. After remaining there, statuesque, awhile, he reentered the woods,
stood for a moment, and then disappeared.
Adventures
of a Nature Guide
Fortunate is the locality that perpetuates its mountain sheep. These
courageous climbers add much to the ancient mountains and snowy peaks; the
arctic wild gardens and the crags would not be the same for us if these
mountaineers were to vanish forever from the heights.
Rocky Mountain
Wonderland
I was for a number of days close to a flock of wild sheep which evidently
had never before seen man. On their first view of me they showed marked
curiosity, which they satisfied by approaching closely, two or three touching
me with their noses. Several times I walked among the flock with no
excitement on their part. I was without either camera or gun.
The day I broke camp and moved on, one of the ewes followed me for more
than an hour.
Rocky Mountain
Wonderland
Wild mountain sheep are perhaps the most accomplished and dare-devil acrobats
in the animal world. They are indifferent to the depths beneath as
they go merrily along canon-walls. The chamois and the wild mountain
goat may equal them in climbing among the crags and peaks, but in descending
dizzy precipices and sheer walls the bighorn sheep are unrivaled.
Rocky Mountain
Wonderland
The Bighorn is famous for spectacular leaps during retreat. He will
jump from a nearly vertical rock or cliff and with deft foot-work make safe
descent. Often he escapes over a precipice so dangerous that no pursuer
dare follow.
Wild Animal
Homesteads
The Bighorn is a mountaineer. He is in repose on a narrow ledge and
enjoys steep inclines where smooth rock and icy spaces exact the highest
climbing skill. ...His warm clothing, his indifference to wind and extreme
cold, and his feet—the perfection of adjustment to rock and ice work showing
ages of evolution— indicate that for generations he has been a year-round
dweller of mountain tops. It would appear that sheep are living on
the heights the year round because they find it a good place to live.
Wild Animal
Homesteads
Sheep under normal conditions are serene and often playful. There appears
to be most play when the flock is united. Commonly they play by twos, and
in this play butt, push, feint, jump, and spar lightly with horns, often
rising to the vertical on hind legs. If a bout becomes particular lively
the others pause to look on. They give attention while something unusual
is doing.
Watched by
Wild Animals
No wild animal grass eater excels the bighorn sheep in climbing skill,
alertness, endurance, and playfulness. They thrive on the winds and rations
of the heights. ...Any healthy animal, human or wild, who understands the
wood craft of winter lives happily when drifts the snow.
Watched by
Wild Animals
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