Kamschatkan Bighorn 225 



of the Chalunga and Pjasina. Several perfect specimens of this animal 

 were obtained by Mr. Schmidt's expedition for, the Zoological Museum 

 of the Academy of Sciences at Moscow." More recently the same sheep 

 has been recorded by Messrs. Bunge and Toll, in the account of their 

 journey to the New Siberian Islands, from the Upper Lena districts. No 

 specimens are available in England for comparison with the typical 

 Kamschatkan form of this race. It the Siberian form should prove to be 

 distinct, it would have to be known as O. canadensis borealis. A point of 

 special interest to determine is whether it really shows any resemblance 

 to the amnion type, as suggested in Severtzoff's original description, since, 

 on distributional grounds, such an approximation might reasonably be 

 expected to occur. 



Habits. — In the peninsula of Kamschatka, according to Dr. Guillemard, 

 the bighorn, although not vuiknown in the interior, exhibit a preference for 

 the slopes of the sea-cliffs, where they are found in small flocks of trom three 

 to five individuals. Somewhat curiously, all those met with by his party 

 were adult rams, so that the ewes and younger rams evidently herd by 

 themselves for some portion of the year, perhaps keeping to the more 

 inland districts. Some idea of the rugged nature of the ground affected 

 by the rams may be gleaned from the following account given by Dr. 

 Guillemard in the Cruise of the Marchesa : — 



" Passing beneath the cliff at the entrance to the bay we witnessed the 

 death of a bighorn under unusual circumstances, for these animals are in 

 general as sure-footed as a chamois. A couple of them had been driven 

 into a corner by some members of our party at the top of the cliff, but one 

 broke back almost immediately. The other, perched on a little pinnacle 

 at the edge of the precipice, seemed about to follow its comrade, but 

 hesitated, turned, and ran back. As it did so its foot slipped. It checked 

 itself for a moment, slipped again, made one desperate effort to regain its 

 footing, and was over in an instant. The creature never moved a muscle 



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