The Musk-ox 89 



Mackenzie, just south of the Arctic Coast. These mountains 

 are known, respectively, as the Richardson, Buckland, British, 

 Romanzof, and Franklin Mountains, but in reality they are the 

 western extension of the main Rocky Mountain range that 

 bends west from the Mackenzie along the Arctic Coast. On 

 reaching the neighborhood of these mountains, however, in the 

 winter of 1898-99, all hope of finding living specimens of 

 musk-ox in them was destroyed. 



The Romanzof Mountains, from which specimens of musk- 

 ox are reported to have recently been brought, by way of 

 Camden Bay, are about one hundred and seventy-five miles 

 west of Herschel Island. The Pacific Steam Whaling Com- 

 pany, with offices at No. 30 California Street, San Francisco, 

 have maintained a whaling station at Herschel Island for a 

 number of years; there has also been established there for 

 a number of years a Church of England Mission, under the 

 direction of the Rev. I. O. Stringer. I visited Herschel Island 

 in November and December, 1898, for the purpose of collect- 

 ing all possible information relative to the animal life of those 

 regions. On my way to and from Herschel Island I sledded 

 the very base of the Davis Gilbert, Richardson, and Buckland 

 Mountains. I stopped over night on both journeys with a lot 

 of Eskimo, at that time hunting the Davis Gilbert Mountains 

 and living in what is known as Oakpik (willow camp), in the 

 extreme western part of the Mackenzie delta, very near the 

 foot of the mountains. Specimens of Ovis dalli (white sheep) 

 and of caribou and fur-bearing animals were plentiful in their 

 camp, but there was no sign of musk-ox. 



At Shingle Point, on the Arctic Coast, near the Richardson 

 Mountains, I spent several days with a man who was trading 

 with the Eskimo who weie hunting the Richardson Mountains. 

 There were several Eskimo in his camp at the time, and he 

 had in his possession skins of the white sheep, caribou, and a 

 variety of fur-bearing animals, but there was no sign of musk- 



