Patrick Gass: May 26, 1805

through a desert country: in which there is no timber on any
part, except a few scattered pines on the hills. We saw few
animals of any kind, but the Ibex or mountain sheep. One of
our men killed a male, which had horns two feet long and four
inches diameter at the root.* We passed two creeks this fore-
* «The Ibex resembles the goat in the shape of its body : but differs in the horns
which are much larger. ‘They are bent backwards, full! of knots; and it is generally
asserted that there is a knot added every year. There are some of these found if we
may believe Bellonius, at least two yards long. ‘The Ibex has a large black beard,
is of a brown colour, with a thick woven coat of hair. ‘There is a streak of black
runs along the top of the back; and the belly and back of the thighs are of a fawn
colour, It is anative of the Alps, the Pyrennees, and mountains of Greece; extremely
swift and capable of running with ease along the edges of precipices, where even the
Wolf or the Fox, though instigated by hunger, dares not pursue it.’’ Goldsmith.
Such is the description given of the Ibex; but which to us does not appear to suit
the animal found about the Rocky mountains called the mountain Ram. From what
we have before heared of that animal, and from Mr. Gass’s verbal description, we
are led to believe, that it much more nearly resembles the wild sheep, called the
Muftion or Musmon, to be found in the uncultivated parts of Greece, Sardinia, Cor-
sica and in the desert of Tartary ; and which is thought to be the primitive race and
LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION 89
noon on the North side; and in the evening one of the men
killed a buffaloe. At dark we came to large rapids, where we
had to unite the crews of two or three canoes, to force them
through. It was sometime after night before we could encamp.
We at length after having gone twenty-one miles, encamped
on the South side in a small grove of timber, the first we had
seen during the day.