The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1886-10-23

they stay on the southern
slopes of the mountains so as to
catch the sun. In the summer they
are generally found on the higher
benches, where the bunch grass and
clover are abundant.
The "Ovis Montana" is adorned
with the most remarkable head-gear
in the shape of monstrous horns.
These are used by them for various
purposes, AUTOMATICALLY as a means
of defense. Astonishing as it may
seem, they also use their immense
horns to assist them in descending
from one lofty eminence to a lower.
Ifin skipping from crag to crag and
ridge to ridge should it become nee
essary to make a jump downwards,
no matter what the height, they roll
themselves up into a kind of ball,
vault out into the air and turning a
succession of somersaults, keep the
ball rolling, so to speak, until they
strike on their powerful horns below.
The shock would kill an ordinary
animal, but these wary denizens of
the mountains don't seem to mind
it much, for they spring to their
feetand gobounding over impossible
chasms and jagged rocks until it be-
comes necessary to make another
descent, when the same tactics are
repeated.
w. B. Dow, of the Green Mountain
Cattle Company, relates that he saw
near his ranch on Powder river, not
long ago, a band of three hundred
mountain sheep. They were brow
sing on lofty cliff, when for some
unaccountable reason, the flock be-
came stampeded and rushed away
like a whirlwind. On they came
pell-mell to the edge of the cliff,
which was cut sharp into a perpen-
dicular decline of fully fifteen hun
dred feet.
The leaders paused, but there was
no help for it; the rear guard crow
ded them over, and the entire flock
went neck over heels down into
space. 1t was, no doubt, curious
sight to see three hundred mountain
sheep doubledup into balls and fall.
ing over such a lofty precipice
Down they came, one after another,
until the whole band had made the
awful jump. AS this was such q
frightful leap for any breathing crea-
ture to make and live, it is not sur
prising to know that thirteen out O.
the three hundred were killed by
the conclusion. The cowboys oftht
ranch secured the meat, which they
declared superior to their choice
Montana steers.
The followingstory of the capture
ola bighorn by f. F. Baker, a Penn
sylvania gentleman, Who'll has a rancl
near Boulder, in the western part o
the Territory, will seem most strang,
and surprising. The story come
well authenticated, and there can b,
no question about its veracity. MI
Baker actually accomplished tn,
singular feat of catching and hold
ing by his unaided strength viii,
Rocky Mountain sheep-a eve
lie came upon her at the foot of
, sloping bank which led up to steel
but not very high cliff of rimrocE
His dog, of the shepherd breed
trained for hunting, was following
and when it saw the sheep pursue
, itup the bank of the cliff, where
stood at bay, making demonstri
tons at the dog, which was promr
. in returning them.
MIR. Baker sent a man, who accom-
! panied them back to the house,
quarter of a mile away, for a gun
! While he was away Baker "made
sneak" on the sheep and came
round on top of the cliff above I'll
animal, whose attention was sti
occupied with the dog. From tn
vantage point he dropped astride
its back, and grasping itaround IL
neck with his arm, held it firmly
but the wild denizen of the moul
tains was not to be conquered s
!. easily, and a struggle began,
which Mr.. Baker and the sheC
- rolled over and over down the ban
= but were not separated. Just
! they reached the ground where
= was level the man with the gun a
rived on horseback, trailing behir
i a long, sincwy lariat. Hapl
/ thought By the aid of the rol
- the mountain eve was bound al
taken to the house. But it refuse
. to eat, and from straining on Il
4, rope required constant watching
!, prevent it from choking to death.
: TcN2lnCo1dfal