THE AMERICAN ABGALL 143 



the latter drawn up from recent specimens, and the 

 notes made in Arctic America. These we now use, 

 and for our illustration have had recourse to a mag- 

 ni6cent ram which has heen lately added to the Edin- 

 burgh Museum.* 



" The Rocky Mountain sheep inhabit the lofty chain 

 of mountains, from whence they derive their name, 

 from its northern termination in lat. 68 to about 

 lat. 40% and most likely still farther south. They 

 also frequent the elevated and craggy ridges with 

 which the country between the great mountain range 

 and the Pacific is intersected ; but they do not appear 

 to have advanced farther to the eastward than the 

 declivity of the Rocky Mountains, nor are they found 

 in any of the hilly tracts near to Hudson's Bay. 

 They collect in flocks, consisting of from three to 

 thirty, the young rams and the females herding to- 

 gether during the winter and spring, while the old 

 rams form separate flocks, except during the month 

 of December, which is their rutting season. The 

 ewes bring forth in June or July, and then retire 

 with their lambs to the most inaccessible heights. 

 Mr Drummond informs me that in the retired parts 

 of the mountains where the hunters had seldom pe- 

 netrated, he found no difficulty in approaching the 

 Rocky Mountain sheep, which there exhibited the 

 simplicity of character so remarkable in the domes- 

 tic species ; but where they had been often fired at, 



* Received from the Colombia River, from Dr Gaird- 

 ner. Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, Jan. 183G. 



