BIGHORN

Evening Star, Issue 21753, 22 June 1934, Page 12

BIGHORN

MOUNTAINEER OF THE ROCKIES Keen-eyed, extremely alert, dignified, and splendidly crowned with massive, curling horns, Bighorn is one of the finest mountaineers in. the world. That is as we would expect when we consider his birth-place (writes Harper Cory). On a day in June his mother clambered up the slopes of Mount Robson; far above timber-line she went, and crawled along a narrow shelf overhanging a shoulder of the rocky giant.' Here, where only majestic eagles could bear witness, she lay down; two tiny lambs were born ere many hours had passed. During two days the ewe rested and watched her lambs as they loosened their limbs in gentle play on that dangerous shelf; a slip and thev would have tumbled I,oooft or more 'to death upon jagged rocks. * Even at that tender age the lambs were sure-footed, and when they followed the ewe down-slope on the third day they skipped from rock to rook as though they had journeyed thus for generations. Narrow clefts and greasy trails held no terrors for them; they walked as though they had suction pads on each foot. Down to the lowlands they sped to be introduced to other ewes with lambs and one-year-olds. Not a mature ram did they sec —nor did they over meet their father. He, in company, with other rams, was wandering widely on the higher slopes far from the haunts of mosquitoes and other things that sting. The ewes rarely wander far from the hillsides where they are born, but the rams are inveterate _ reamers. Thus Nature ensures the virility of the stock and avoids any danger of inbreeding. THE MAN WITH A BOX. It was about mid-July when Bighorn saw a human for the first time, and quickly he sped along the trail as the ewe guided her young from the sight of the hunter. Thus the lambs learned to mistrust man and to run before him. A week or two later the lambs were taught how.to bluff successfully. The ewe and twins were grazing peacefully in the shadow of some rocks when, suddenly, a long-legged human with a small black box in his hands appeared round the rocks. The, ewe at once realised that flight' was cut off, so she lowered her head and charged the man at express speed. He, wisely, dropped his camera and fled, yet not speedily enough. The old lady encouraged him to greater activity, taking the seat of his pants on the tips of her horns as a souvenir of the occasion. Then she wheeled and galloped uphill to a safer legion, the lambs racing behind her. Experience teaches—l now have a healthy respect for Rocky Mountain, sheep, and a double seat in my hunting pants. And my camera is always slung round my neck, never held in my hands.

At the close of the summer a ram appeared before the ewe. He -was an entire stranger to her, yet she accepted him as lord as master—for a season—and followed in his trail. Other owes and lambs were added to the harem: then came a speedy divorce. A younger ram belligerently bleated, and the ewes grazed unconcernedly while the males gave battle. One hour passed, and still the rams fought. Age exacted its penalties, and at last the elder ram acknowledged defeat. He sped away, leaving liis harem to the victor who, being wise in his generation, led the ewes and lambs uphill to a lonely meadow. Ever watchful, he guarded his family, even giving battle to a hungry wolf who hoped to dine on lamb; the wolf was lifted on the horns of the ram and hurled ignominously into space from a precipitous shoulder of the mountain. But iu the spring a wanderlust filled his mind. Uphill he deserted the harem to join a bachelor band grazing near the timber line. THE WANDERERS. Bighorn was four years old when wanderlust filled his mind. Uphill he hastened until, far to the west, ho saw a moving patch oj white—the rump

hairs of a Rocky Mountain ram, VJuickly he joined the lonely traveller,, and in company they journeyed until they met and were accepted by a band of mature rams who had deserted their families. Far and wide they wandered as the summer months passed by, feeding daintily yet vigilant by night and day. Little escaped their notice, and even the slightest motion of the hunter quite a mile away was sufficient to drive them -to cover, whence they could in safety observe his every action. The rams tired of their form of Hfg in autumn, so Bighorn went down to the lowlands. Fortune was kind to him, allowing him to collect a -small harem without the task of battling with envious rams. But later' the weather was unkind to Bighorn. Winds howled and roared, and the .sheep fled toward timber line; snow fell, blanketing the slopes before the sheep had reached the trees. Buried by ai; showdrift several feet in thickness. Bighorn and his family huddled together for warmth. The storm ceased, and the lambs bleated for food; so Bighorn: made an exit from the icy catacomb by, butting and charging against the wall of snow. He worked alone, for the females having but slinder spikes aa horns were of little use as tunnellers* With the coming of spring Bighorn followed the custom of his kind—he deserted his family. SANCTUARY. Much/interest attaches to Bighorn’ and his kind, for they have had the narrowest possible escape from complete extermination. At one time great numbers of these creatures wandered on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains, bufi following the completion of the transcontinental railways hunters regarded the horns of the Rocky Mountain sheep as the most valuable of trophies* The roads and trails of the newly formed national , parks enabled new; hunters to follow the sheep to their favourite haunts,. and about 1910 the rams and ewes bad been reduced from thousands to scores. A wave of desire for the conservation of wild life spread across Canada in 1911, and the national parks were made sanctuaries for wild animals. So effective were the new; laws and restrictions that the sheep have increased from scores to thousands. But for those measures at * critical moment this story of Bighorn could not have been told, for Rocky Mountain sheep would have become only a name with historical meaning many years ago. ,