1 90 1.] Allen, Musk-Oxen of Arctic America and Greenland. 83 



miles inland from Camden Bay, in other words, just where Mr. 

 Turner believed " scattered individuals " might still exist in 1886, 

 namely, between the Rumianzof Mountains and the Arctic coast, 

 in northeastern Alaska. 



As already said, these * Alaskan ' specimens do not appear to 

 differ appreciably from examples of corresponding age and season 

 from the Barren Grounds east of the Mackenzie. This is not per- 

 haps surprising, since in comparatively recent times the species 

 doubtless had a continuous distribution throughout the barren 

 grounds of the Arctic coast, from Alaska eastward. Richardson, 

 in 1854, gave its range as extending westward "to the eastward 

 outlet of the Mackenzie," but had only vague Indian reports of 

 its existence west of the Mackenzie. 



As the remains of Musk-Oxen have been found at various 

 points in the frozen soil of Siberia, in the ice-cliffs of Esch- 

 scholtz Bay, and, in Postpliocene times, even as far south in Europe 

 as England and France, and in the United States as far south as 

 Utah, Kentucky, and Mississippi, it is evident that the genus 

 Ovibos is a declining type, which has reached its last stronghold 

 in the Arctic Barren Grounds, the islands of the northeast coast 

 of America, and a narrow coast belt in northern Greenland. 

 Its recent history shows that it will soon be a creature of the past 

 wherever it can be reached by man. Mr. Andrew J. Stone states 

 (this Bulletin, Vol. XIII, 1900, p. 42) : " Their range is becoming 

 more and more contracted all the time, as roving bands of In- 

 dians from the Hudson Bay posts, on Great Slave Lake and near 

 Great Bear Lake, make occasional raids upon them, and almost 

 always destroy the entire herd attacked." 



In Mr. Stone's notes on the Musk-Ox (/. c.) he stated that his 

 inquiries among the Indians and Eskimo west of the Mackenzie 

 River had led him to believe that this animal " has not inhabited 

 that region for a very long period." Since the preceding part 

 of this paper was put in type I have had opportunity again to 

 discuss with him the question of the existence of Musk-Oxen in 

 Alaska, and as a result he has kindly acceded to my request to 

 put in writing a more detailed statement of his reasons for this 

 opinion. This statement is herewith appended, since it seems to 

 show that there is very little if any probability that the Musk-Ox 



