670 



COLLEGE ZOOLOGY 



can forms are the bison, musk-ox, bighorn, and mountain 

 goat. 



The bison, Bison bison (Fig. 536), up to the year 1870, ranged 

 over a large part of the Great Plains and other portions of North 

 America. It was persistently hunted chiefly for its hide until 

 most of the species had been killed. In 1903 it was estimated 

 that about six hundred wild individuals and one thousand cap- 

 tive specimens still existed. The musk-ox, Ovibos moschatus 



Fig. 5.36. — The American bison, Bison bison. (From Beddard.) 



(Fig. 537), lives on the Arctic barrens of North America. It has 

 a long, shaggy coat, and the male has a strong, musky smell. 

 The Esquimaux use it for many purposes. The bighorn, or 

 mountain sheep, Ovis cervina, is an inhabitant of the slopes of the 

 Rocky and Sierra mountains above timber line. It seeks the 

 more sheltered valleys in the winter. The mountain goat, 

 Oreamnos montaniis, occurs in the higher Rocky and Cascade 

 mountains to Alaska. It is covered with long, white hair; has 

 slender black horns; and is an expert climber. 

 Among the Artiodactyla not found in North America are: 



