190 REFOKT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1901. 



CONDOR. 



Sarcorhamphus gryphus ( Linnaeus). 



This huge American vulture is one of the largest birds of flight and probably 

 occupies the first place aim »ng the land birds. It ranges over a large portion of South 

 America and is restricted mainly to the Andes, where it ascends to heights not 

 reached by any other creature. The condor is of slow growth, requiring about seven 

 years to attain the full plumage shown by this specimen, and the young birds occupy 

 the nest for a year or more before they are able to fly. 



MAMMALS. 



The largest of the North American game animals exhibited was the 

 Alaska moose {Aloes gigas). This has only recently been recognized as 

 a separate species. It grows to a larger size than the moose of the 

 Eastern States and has larger antlers, which sometimes have a spread 

 more than 6 feet. They do not remain in herds or wt yard" in winter, 

 like the Eastern species, and the Indians are therefore unable to 

 surround them in bands. The fine specimen exhibited was one of 

 a small series obtained for the Museum a few years ago by Mr. Dall 

 De Weese. It was represented as standing at the edge of a wood 

 among fallen branches and leaves and young spruce trees. 



Another interesting Alaska game animal was Dall's sheep (Ovis 

 dalli). This was also obtained in the Cooks Inlet region by Mr. De 

 Weese. It is pure white throughout, and thus distinguished from all 

 other wild sheep. It lives among the mountain snow fields. The 

 species was first made known by Mr. E. W. Nelson. 



In contrast witli this sheep was exhibited the newly discovered black 

 sheep, or Stone's sheep, from the northern limit of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains of British America. (Plate 8.) This beautiful sheep is very 

 dark colored with numerous black markings. It was discovered by 

 Mr. II. A. Stone in the upper part of the Stikine Valley, British 

 Columbia, and described b} T Dr. J. A. Allen. 



Two other large Alaskan mammals deserve special notice. The 

 larger of these is the Kadiak bear (Ursvs middendorfii). This is the 

 largest of existing bears and the largest of carnivorous animals. 

 (Plate 7.) It far exceeds the lion in height and w r eight, adults prob- 

 ably not falling short of a ton. The specimen exhibited weighed about 

 1,200 pounds. This huge bear occurs, so far as known, only on Kadiak 

 Island at the mouth of Cooks Inlet. It feeds on salmon and on grasses, 

 berries, and other vegetable matter. The species was only recently 

 founded by Dr. C. H. Merriam, who separated it from the grizzly 

 bear and from other bears with long claws inhabiting the northwestern 

 section of the continent. 



The other Alaskan species above mentioned was the glacier bear 

 (Ursus emmonsi). This is a small bear of the black-bear group, but, 

 unlike its congeners, it is gray in color, a very unusual tint among 



