12 . ROCKY-MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 



body is entirely covered widi long pendent hair, silky and 

 totally white, but not curled; the head is elongated, with- 

 out a muzzle or naked part, the ears of a middling size; 

 the forehead not protuberant; the horns are short, to- 

 lerably thick, black, slightly annulated, they are round, 

 almost straight, bent backwards, and terminated in a 

 blunt point {pointe mousse); the legs are short, stout, 

 and supported on short and thick hoofs; the tail is hardly 

 perceptible, perhaps on account of the length of the hair. 

 M. de Blainville inclined to the opinion that this animal 

 is the same as the Pudu of Molina, Shaw's Gen. Zool. 

 vol. ii. p. 392. 



It is probable that the specimen l^elonging to the Lin- 

 nean Society is of the same species as that brought by cap- 

 tain Lewis; and it is further probable that M. de Blain- 

 %alle was not permitted to examine his subject as closely 

 as was requisite, otherwise the important circumstance of 

 the thick coat of wool, beneath the outer covering of 

 straight hair, would not have escaped his attention. As 

 to the horns being obtuse, this may have arisen from an 

 accident, or some other cause. 



It is much to be wished that some traveller would 

 bring a living specimen of this singular quadruped, or at 

 least a dead specimen in such a state as should enable the 

 naturalist to determine, with precision, its characters. 

 From the information derived from captain Lewis, and 

 from the descriptions above, we cannot, wath propriety, 

 arrange this animal with the Antelopes; and if it should 

 not prove to be a true Ovis, it will, probably, constitute 

 a new genus, and take its station, in the systems, between 

 the sheep and the goat. 



