38 Mr, C. H. Smith's Observations on some Animals 



Antilope lanigera. 



Rupicapra Americana. Blainville. 



Ovis montana. Ord. 



Tab. IV. 



This species, which Mr. Ord has noticed, in a Memoir read to 

 the Society of Philadelphia, under the denomination of Ovis 

 montana, exhibits a compound character sufficiently anomalous 

 to render a precise classification very questionable. Dr. Blain- 

 ville, in his newly proposed subdivision of the genus Antilope, 

 has arranged it next to and in the family of Chamois or Rupi- 

 capra?, under the appellation of Rupicapra Americana. There 

 is, however, no coincidence of characters to justify this arrange- 

 ment ; unless it be that this animal like the chamois inhabits 

 mountainous regions. The Prong-horned Antelope has a better 

 claim to the denomination of chamois; and the epithet Ameri- 

 cana is of too vague a nature, as several congeners are already 

 known to exist in America : I have therefore ventured to propose 

 the trivial appellation of lanigera, which, as far as we know, is 

 exclusively the character of this species of antelope. The speci- 

 men from which Dr. Blainville took his short notice is that in 

 the Museum of this Society, and the same from which the an- 

 nexed drawing was taken*. Mr. Ord had still scantier materials 

 for description, there being in the Philadelphian Museum only 

 the scalp with one of the horns attached to it, and the skin with- 

 out head or legs ; it having served an Indian for a cloak. While 

 I was at Philadelphia I examined this skin, and found it small, 

 nearly destitute of the long hairs, but covered with very fine 

 downy wool. I took it for that of a young animal, and was 

 confirmed in this conjecture upon viewing another in Canada, 



* The specimen here described and figured, was presented to the Linnean Society 

 by the late Lieut. General Thomas Davies, F.Il.S. and L.S. 



which 



