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WILD LIFE IN ALASKA—GRANT. 527 
various points, from the upper Yukon River to the sea, would indi- 
cate an almost complete transition of antler type from the wood- 
land (Osborn) caribou, to the barren ground (Grant) caribou. A 
further study of the caribou of this region will ultimately lead to a 
merging of the various species. The work of Charles Sheldon, who 
is now studying sheep in the Mount McKinley district, has broken 
down the specific distinction of the sheep in Alaska in the same way. 
That caribou were formerly very abundant on the Seward Penin- 
sula is proved by the abundance of bleached skulls and cast antlers, 
apparently about 20 or 25 years old. The cause of their disappear- 
ance is as yet an unsolved problem. The possession of firearms by the 
natives, first obtained from whalers, is by some considered as the cause, 
and by others epidemic. The natives themselves claim that about a 
generation ago the winter cold continued throughout an entire year, 
and all the caribou perished in consequence. AI] these explanations 
leave much to be desired, as there is an abundance of caribou in the 
wooded district at the eastern end of the peninsula, and the explana- 
tion of the fact that in the course of all these years the caribou have 
not wandered back to their old feeding grounds remains a mystery. 
A few scattered individuals at the very most are all that have been 
seen since the founding of Nome, seven or eight years ago. 
Domestic reindeer have been introduced into Alaska successfully, 
and form a valuable resource for the natives. I, however, saw nothing 
of them beyond the fact that their meat forms a part of the menu in 
the various restaurants at Nome. 
Moose-—Moose occur everywhere throughout Alaska within the 
timbered region, but seldom leave the shelter of the woods. They 
extend close to the Arctic Ocean in the north, and occasionally wander 
far out on the Alaska Peninsula. The giant moose occurs on the 
Kenai Peninsula, but it is probable that this animal is only an outly- 
ing member of the type species, which in that districu, for some un- 
known reason, produces antlers of extraordinary size and complexity. 
A few instances of moose with antlers of great size are known in the 
interior, but it is a matter of doubt whether or not in bodily size the 
Kenai Peninsula moose excels that of his kin in the interior or in the 
Yukon territory. 
Mountain sheep.—Sheep occur everywhere in the mountain regions 
throughout Alaska, being especially abundant in the country around 
the upper Yukon and around Mount McKinley, extending thence as 
far south and west as the Kenai Peninsula. They also occur on the 
upper Porcupine River, but the great Yukon Valley in its lower 
reaches is without sheep. 
Mountain goat—Goat occur throughout the mainland from the 
American boundary north, but are never found, as far as I know, 
on any of the islands lying close along the coast in southeastern 
