IN THE ALASKA- YUKON GAMELANDS 



in Nelson's big-horn. The hair is of a uniform 

 white — in fact, nearly equal to his snow surround- 

 ings in color, and is nearly as easily broken as 

 that of the antelope. Next to the skin is a very 

 fine, short wool, which is very strong. In size the 

 tebay is probably an equal of its relative, the big- 

 horn. I saw a spoon made from the horn of one 

 that measured twenty-six inches in length and 

 five inches across the bowl. We were informed 

 that some had much larger horns than the one 

 that furnished material for this spoon. This, 

 like most statements of natives, is questionable. 

 The large ram and one other were killed on the 

 most northerly tributary of the Chittistone 

 River. The natives informed us that small tebay 

 could be killed a few miles below the junction of 

 the Chittistone, a fact we doubted, and hence 

 chose to allow them the use of our carbines. 

 They passed the night on the mountains north of 

 the Chitina River, and returned with four small 

 ones that would weigh when dressed probably 

 sixty-five pounds. The heads were left on the 

 mountains, but the bodies brought in seemed 

 identical with those obtained on the Chittistone 

 River. Why only small ones should be found at 

 this place in the latter part of April I cannot say; 

 yet the mountains here were not so high as far- 

 ther to the east, where the large ones had been 

 killed. The last of these animals seen or heard of 

 by us were near the headwaters of Copper River, 

 on the divide between it and the Tanana River." 



42 



