22 Game of Europe, W. & N. Asia & America 



however, of the same size and shape as in the North-Western and Alaskan 

 biirhorns : and the difterence in the size of the caudal disk is a feature 

 which might quite naturally be expected to occur in an animal which has 

 been isolated from its American relatives for a longer period than the 

 different forms of the latter have been separated from one another. And 

 since, so far as the horns and ears are concerned, the Kamchatkan wild 

 sheep is nearer to the Alaskan and North-Western bighorns than are the 

 latter to the typical bighorn of the Rocky Mountains, it seems, in the 

 writer's opinion, better to regard all the forms as phases of a single species. 

 Not improbably the North-Western and Alaskan bighorns come closest to 

 the original parent type, while the Rocky Mountain and the Kamchatkan 

 bighorn represent two aberrant branches or incipient species. 



As in the case of the Alaskan bighorn, the present animal was very 

 poorly represented in the national collection at the time when IV'ild Oxen, 

 Sheep, ami Goats of All hands was penned ; the only complete specimen 

 then fit for exhibition being an immature ram in the very long and 

 shaggy winter coat which forms one of the distinctive characteristics of 

 the Kamchatkan race. Mr. St. George Littledale, who made a trip to 

 Kamchatka in 1900 with Prince Demidoff, for the purpose of shooting 

 these wild sheep, has, however, presented the British Museum with the 

 skin of a fine adult ram, just assuming the winter coat. Prince Demidoff 

 has recently presented a mounted ram in the short summer coat to the St. 

 Petersburg Museum. 



In addition to the relatively small area of the white rump-patch, which 

 does not extend on to the upper surface of the hind-quarters, the Kam- 

 chatkan bighorn is distinguished from all the American races of Oiv.f 

 canadensis by the length and fineness of the hair of the winter coat, which 

 somewhat approaches wool in character. There is no mane on the nape of 

 the neck, the dark streak bisecting the white rump-patch is much wider 

 than in any of the American races, and the white area on the hinder aspect 



