PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 13 



tills form covers nearly all the mainland of Alaska where there are 

 mountains, excepting the vicinity of the Bering sea coast. It is limited 

 strictly to the mainland and occurs only among the higher parts of the 

 mountains south of about 68° of latitude, but north of this it is found on 

 lower ground, and as the mountains give place to low hills and rolling 

 plains near the Arctic coast, it descends nearly or quite to the sea-level. 



The southern limit is at present unknown, but is probably in about 

 latitude 55° and north nearly to 70°. 



The Mountain Sheep found along the Lower Mackenzie Eiver close to 

 the Arctic coast, by Richardson, undoubtedly belong to this race, as do 

 others found in the northern part of British America. 



Among the natives I have seen typical skins from the mountains south 

 of the Upper Kuskoquim Eiver; from the headwaters of the Tanana ; 

 from the Kaviak Peninsula near Bering Straits ; also from the moun- 

 tains east and northeast of Kotzebue Sound, and, during the summer of 

 1881, while cruising between Kotzebue Sound and Point Barrow we saw 

 hundreds of skins among the Eskimos, who invariably pointed to the low 

 range of mountains a few miles back from the coast, when asked where 

 the sheep were found. 



While hunting near Cape Thompson, on the Arctic coast, the middle 

 of July, 1881, 1 saw a pair of these animals within about five miles of the 

 coast at an elevation of not over 300 feet above the sea. They were 

 feeding on an open grassy plain at the foot of a series of low hills over 

 which they ran the moment they caught wind of me, as I tried to ap- 

 proach along the bed of a small gully. Among the skins seen by me 

 I have been particularly struck by the uniformity in general coloration 

 and appearance. In the present preliminary account only the most su- 

 perficial peculiarities can be noticed owing to the writer's absence from 

 Washington; but in a general list of Alaskan Mammals in preparation 

 I hope to give fuller details. / < 



DESCRIPTION. ^ 



/ / . '.] ■ f] 



Ovis MONTANA DAXLI var. nov. Northern Mountain Sheep. 



This form can be recognized at once by its nearly uniform dirty-white 

 color, the light-colored rump area seen in typical montana being entirely 

 uniform with the rest of the body in dalli. The dinginess of the white 

 over the entire body and limbs appears to be almost entirely due to the 

 ends of the hairs being commonly tipped with a dull rusty speck. On 

 close examination this tipping of the hairs makes the fur look as though 

 it had been slightly singed. This form also has smaller horns than its 

 southern relatives, but how the two comiiare in general size and weight 

 I am uable to say. 



I name this form in honor of Mr. W. H. Dall, whose scientific Mork in 

 Alaska is so well known. 



Hamilton, Xew Mexico, December 22, 1883. 



