THE SHEEP'S HEAD IN THE TROPHY ROOM

Since announcement was made in the last number of the Alumni Magazine of the gift to the Trophy room of a Rocky Mountain sheep's head by the Colorado Alumni, further interesting details concerning the history of this fine specimen have been received from David J. Main, 1906.

He writes as follows:

Mr. James S. Bush, an old trapper and hunter of national reputation, who is now Deputy Game Warden of the State, confiscated this head on behalf of the State in 1902, from six hunters who shot the sheep out of season.

The sheep was killed up South Platte Canon in the mountains, about fifty miles from Denver. The hunters, in order to carry out their plans of shipping the head to safe quarters, sawed the head right down the middle and put it in a truck ready to ship, when Mr. Bush received word that this head, together with others, was procured out of season, and he immediately made arrangements to secure the head from these hunters in Colorado Springs, with the result that he turned it over to the Game .Warden of the State at that time, and the Game Warden presented the head to Mr. Bush's wife in 1902.

Mr. Bush had the head mounted and put in presentable shape by a taxidermist, and had it exhibited, together with other specimens at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904, taking the first prize at that exhibition.

You will notice that the hair is of a dark color, which indicates that the animal was killed out of season and probably sometime in January, and what is known as "in the blue." Most heads that we see are of a lighter color and this only demonstrates that this is a very rare specimen, and for that reason is that much more valuable, and will be more and more valuable as time goes on, as there is no longer an open season on Rocky Mountain sheep.