110 



ORDERS OR MAMMALS— HOORED ANIMALS 



enforced and respected. Wherever they are ig- 

 nored, the wild sheep are doomed to extinction. 



The general color of the Big-Horn is gray 

 brown, with a large white or cream-yellow patch 

 on the hind quarters, completely surrounding 

 the tail. A large ram killed by the author in the 

 Shoshone Mountains, Wyoming, on November 

 10, 1SS9, stood 40 inches high at the shoulders, 

 was 58 inches in length from end of nose to root 

 of tail; its tail was 3 inches long, and its weight 

 was about 300 pounds. Although the snow on 

 its wild pasture was knee deep, and the sheep 

 were pawing through it to reach the tallest blades 

 of dry grass, they were as well fed and fat as if 

 they had been feeding at a manger. 



The largest horns of this species ever taken are 



male specimen from Lower California, fifteen 

 months old, which in 1902 was exhibited in the 

 New York Zoological Park was as follows : 



Height, 29 inches. 



Length, head and body, 39£ inches. 



Tail, 3 inches. 



Length of horn, 10 inches. 



Spread at tips, \3{ inches. 



Weight of animal, 65 pounds. 



Cause of death, pneumonia. 



In the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, is found 

 the Mexican Mountain Sheep,~ in color much 

 like the Californian species, but larger, and with 

 large ears. The horns of a fine old ram, killed 

 by Mr. Charles Sheldon, measured 16-j inches in 

 basal circumference. 



Copyright, 1902, by Harry Pidgeon. 

 HEAD OF WHITE MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 

 Shot and photographed on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, by Harry Pidgeon. 



said to measure 1S.V inches in circumference, and 

 52^ inches in length on the curve ; but any horns 

 which are 14 inches in basal circumference may 

 be considered large. All female wild sheep 

 have horns, but they are small, short, erect and 

 much flattened. They vary in length from 5 to 

 8 inches. 



Southward of the range of the Big-Horn are 

 found two new species which appear to be off- 

 shoots of it. In southern California and the 

 peninsula of Lower California is found the 

 California, or Nelson's Mountain Sheep, 1 a 

 smaller animal than the big horn, short haired, 

 and of a pale salmon-gray color. The size of the 

 1 O'vis nel'son-i. 



The White Mountain Sheep, or Dall's 

 Sheep, 3 of Alaska, discovered and described 

 by E. W. Nelson in 1SS4, is an animal of very 

 striking appearance. When its hair has not 

 been stained by mud or dirt, it is everywhere 

 pure white, and its horns have a yellowish, am- 

 ber-like appearance. From May to September, 

 during the shedding period, the hair is so short 

 and so often stained by reddish earth, that the 

 skin is almost worthless as a trophy. From Oc- 

 tober to February, however, the pelage is very 

 long and thick, and snow white. This species 

 is noticeably smaller than the Big-Horn, and 

 the horns arc smaller and more slender in pro- 

 2 O'vis mex-ircan'us. '■' O'vis dall'i. 



