The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-01-10

From the San Francisco Chronicle.
 There Is more or less general impression encouraged to a considerable extent by magazine and newspaper articles. that the wild horse of the plains, so we'll known in the early days of the west, and about which so many stories of ad- venture have been written and so many romances woven, is practically extinct.
 Don't believe it.
 can take you to a range high up among the mountains of Nevada, with mountain, on the much travelled overland route of the Southern Pacific company, and show you band after band of as genuinely wild horses as were ever "creased' or lassoed by the heroes of the early plain tales, existing under ex- actly the same conditions as then and just as difficult to capture. And what is true of this particular spot is undoubt- edly true of other regions.
 In the case of the wild horses of today in the particular section of Nevada, con- corning which this article is written, the history of the escaped war horses of the early Spaniards has to a considerable de- gree repeated itself. They owe their orig fin to a band of domestic horses which were turned loose on the hills and plains back of Sheep Creek mountains; to the north of Battle Mountain, New, some thing over thirty years ago by the late J. A. Blossom, prominent land owner and mining man of that section There they have since remained. breeding and rum ming at will, and until the last two years or so, no attempt has been made to capture them, except in rare individual instances.
 Work Out Their Salvation.
 For more than a quarter of century they have worked out their own saliva ton, without let or hndrance. In a coun- try as wild as when the continent was discovered, full of deep canons and maze- like runaways, and scarcely ever touched by civilization. The conditions are the same as found by their earlier prototypes, and like conditions have brought about like results
 The country over which these horses roam is ideal for their freedom, isolation and concealment The Sheep Creek moun- tains are a comparatively short range, rising from the valley of the Humboldt river less than a half dozen miles north ITOm BdItIe mountain StdtlOn, so aDTuDt- ly that the 2000 to 2590 feet to the sum init is made in travelling distance of scarcely a mile and half from their base.
 In the region noted it is estimated that there are now In the vicinity of 20O0 wild horses, but their method of existence and travel is in small bands. numbering from half dozen to twenty head Each band has a stallion as its leader and there is practically never more than one stall lion to a band. As soon as a male colt acquires growth and strength he is either driven out of the old band. or voluntarily leaves to form a band of his own
 The leader Is in every sense and re- spect the master of the band. The mem bers of his family are such by his will and acquisitions are made only with his consent. The stock on the range is fre- quently added to by strays from distant ranches or from some vaquero camp. This has been particularly true fin the past two years. when effort has been made to capture the wild bends, and cowboy camp has been maintained in the hills for much of the time.
 have seen iron-shod saddle mares, jacks. and even mules as members of the wild bands. all apparently as wild as the stallion leader, but I have never seen a gelding in such band and am told that they are never permitted to join. The few that escape to the plains and hills may occasionally be. seen in bands by themselves. and are certainly wild enough after @ few months running to be classed with any on the range. but they are outcasts so far as the majority are concerned.
 Newcomers Inspected.
 When A sir.le stray either from an- other band or from ranch or camp, ap- breaches a wild band. there is a careful inspection on the part of the leader be- fore permission is given to join. Hidden among the sage brush have watched a leader leave his band, stop an approach ing mare and hold an apparent confab of ten or fifteen minutes before giving a decision. He touches noses with the would-be member of his family, walks all about her and examines her from every side as closely and carefully as an in-