THE GAME ANIMALS OF CANADA 85 



The presence of all gradations between the pure white 

 0. dalli and the dark-grey or black 0. stonei in the moun- 

 tains between the range of these two species has already 

 been mentioned. In the Selwyn Mountains and in the 

 region between the Sheslay River district and the Lewes 

 River the colour of the sheep is extremely variable. From 

 the Sheslay River region north of the Stikine River, north 

 along the uninterrupted area of travel through the Stikine 

 Moxmtains and the Pelly River region, there is more gen- 

 eral uniformity of colour, lighter sheep occurring along the 

 Pelly River. 



It would appear that "within the areas of colour varia- 

 tion," to quote Sheldon, ''sheep inhabiting the continuous 

 unbroken ranges have a tendency towards uniform colours, 

 while those inhabiting regions where the mountain ranges 

 are broken, having the character of complex groups separated 

 by wide valleys, tend to vary." 



R. G. McConnell reported this species from the moun- 

 tains west of Peel River, in 190L Jos. Keele, in the report 

 of his reconnaissance of the Mackenzie Mountains, in 1907 

 and 1908, states that they are plentiful in portions of the 

 Gravel River region, particularly on the low mountains be- 

 tween the Sayunei and Tigonankweine ranges. E. A. Preble 

 (1908) reported their occurrence in the mountains west of 

 the Mackenzie River from the vicinity of Fort Liard to 

 near the Arctic coast. They are killed in the mountains 

 opposite to Forts Norman and Good Hope, and while at 

 Fort Macpherson he saw heads and skins which had been 

 obtained on Black Mountain, the extremity of the range 

 west of the Mackenzie delta. 



During the summer the rams and ewes are hardly ever 

 found together. Charles Sheldon informs us that the 

 lambs are born from early May to early June, and some- 

 times, though this is exceptional, as late as early August. 

 After the lambs are born the ewes and lambs remain in the 



