ROCKY-MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 9 



that the sheep are very abundant on the heights, and 

 among the cliffs, of the adjacent mountains; and that these 

 two had been lately killed out of a herd of thirty-six, at 

 no great distance from the village." Vol. ii. p. 233, 



" The Indians assert, that there are great numbers of 

 the white buffalo or mountain sheep, on the snowy heights 

 of the mountains^ west of Clark's river. They generally 

 inhabit the rocky and most inaccessible parts of the moun- 

 tain, but as they are not fleet^ are easily killed by the 

 hunters." Vol. ii. p. 331. 



In the above passages we are made acquainted with 

 the important fact, that, besides the Argali or Big- horned 

 sheep, we have another species in North America of the 

 genus Ovis. The smaller of the two skins, which the 

 Indian offered to sale at Brant Island, was purchased by 

 captain Lewis, and was presented by him to the museum 

 of Philadelphia. It is undoubtedly the skjn of a young 

 animal: it measures three feet from the insertion of the 

 tail to the neck, its breadth is twenty-six inches; the tail 

 is short, but it was probably not skinned to the end; 

 along the back there runs a ridge of coarse hair, about 

 three inches in length, and bristled up in the manner of 

 that of the common goat, this ridge is continued up the 

 neck, forming a kind of mane, and is thicker, coarser, 

 and longer there than that of the back; the whole of the 

 skin is closely covered with short wool, of an extreme 

 fineness, surpassing in this quality that of any breed with 

 ^vhich I am acquainted, not excepting the wool of the Me- 

 rino lamb — a coat of hair conceals this wool, but on divid- 

 ing the former with the hands, the latter lies so thick that 

 the hairs are scarcely visible; the ears are narrow, and 

 taper to a point, they are nearly four inches long; the 



