Canadian Musk-Ox 313 



unsymmetrical to one another, and the hiteral pair of hoots are relatively 

 large ; hair covers the lower surface of the feet. Both sexes carry horns, 

 but those of the bulls are much larger than those of the cows, and nearly 

 meet in the middle line of the forehead along their greatly expanded and 

 much flattened bases, where they are also grooved. In adult bulls the 

 horns commence near the occiput and spread nearly to the eyes, curving at 

 first outwards and downwards, and then upwards at the tips. The coat is 

 extremely long and shaggy, and for the most part of a uniformly dark 

 brown colour, although there is always a light saddle-shaped patch on the 

 back, and there may be much white on the lower parts of the legs. 



At the time when JTi/d Oxcii, Sheep, an J Goats was written only a single 

 living form of musk-ox was recognised, for which the name Greenland 

 musk-ox was adopted. The selection of this title was somewhat unfortu- 

 nate as the typical representative of the species was collected somewhere 

 in the neighbourhood of Hudson Bay. And since the musk-ox of Green- 

 land now turns out to be distinguishable from the one inhabiting the 

 American mainland, it has been found advisable to restrict the name 

 of Greenland musk-ox to the former and to call the latter the Canadian 

 musk-ox. 



The Canadian animal is specially characterised by the great length of 

 the expanded border of the base of the horns of the old bulls and the 

 absence of any white on the face ; the general colour being dark brown, 

 approaching to black on the head, neck, and sides of the body in old bulls, 

 with a large yellowish white saddle-shaped patch on the middle of the 

 back. The legs are lighter coloured tlian the back, but exhibit little 

 white. With regard to the present condition of musk-oxen in America, 

 Mr. A. J. Stone ^ writes as follows : — 



"Their range is becoming more and more contracted all the time, as 

 roving bands of Indians from the Hudson Bay posts, on Great Slave Lake 



1 Bull. Amer. Mm. \'ol. xiii. p. 42 (1900). 

 2 S 



