MAMMALS 367 



Africa; about 10 species in America, including the buffalo, mountain 

 sheep, mountain goats and muskox. 



Key to the United States Genera of Bovidae 



ai Body very large and stout; nose not hairy; buffalo i. Bison. 



3.2 Body smaller; nose hairy; sheep and goats. 



bi Horns compressed anteroposteriorly; sheep 2. Ovis. 



bo Horns compressed laterally; goats 3. Oreamnos. 



1. Bison H. Smith. Head large; shoulders high; hind quarters 

 low and weak; fore quarters covered to the knees with a shaggy mane; 

 horns thick at the base and curved; hoofs broad; tail long; dentition 

 04, 0/0, 3/3, 3/3: I species. 



B. americanus (L.). Buffalo. Color dark brown, lighter on the 

 rump; hoofs, nose and horns black; length 3,300 mm.; tail 500 mm.; 

 height at shoulder 1,700 mm.; weight 1,800 lbs.: North America, formerly 

 between the Alleghanies and the Rockies north of the Mexican 

 Boundary, now extinct, except a few preserved herds in the Yellowstone 

 Park and elsewhere, and a few wild herds in northern Canada. 



2. Ovis L. Sheep. Body stout; legs short; nose narrow and hairy, 

 except a small naked space between the nostrils; horns very large and 

 heavy, curving backward and then downward; dentition 0/4, 0/0, 

 3 2>i ?) /s '■ numerous species in all continents except Australia and South 

 America; about 7 species in northern America, 6 in the United States. 



O. canadensis Shaw. Mountain sheep; bighorn. Color grayish 

 brown, lighter in winter; large white rump patch; length 1,350 mm.; 

 height at shoulders 1,000 mm.; length of horn 1,250 mm. in the male, 

 curving outwards and forming often a circle; horns in female short and 

 straight: high mountains from the Mexican boundary into British 

 Columbia; number of young at a birth i or 2. 



Subspecies of O. canadensis 



O. c. auduboni Merriam. Size large; skull and horn massive: Bad 

 Lands, South Dakota. 



O. c. gaillardi Mearns. Size small; color ecru drab; feet very small: 

 low desert ranges in the Austral zone south of the Gila River, Arizona. 



0. c. sierrcB Grinnell. Like 0. nelsoni, but much paler; length 1,450 

 mm.; tail 120 mm.; hind foot 375 mm.: southern California. 



O. c. texiana Bailey. Color dull buffy brown; rump patch pure white; 

 length 1,530 mm.: Guadaloupe Mountains, Texas. 



O. nelsoni Merr. Color pale brown; rump patch white; length 

 1,280 mm.; tail 100 mm.; hind foot 360 mm.; height at shoulder 830 



