WILD SHEEP OF ASIA AND AMERICA 289 



and the adjacent chain of northern California, appears 

 to have been so similar to the typical bighorn that 

 its right to distinction seems very doubtful. 



Much the same thing may be said with regard 

 to O. c. auduboni, described by Dr. Merriam^ in 

 1 901 on the evidence of skulls from the Bad Lands 

 of South Dakota. These are stated to be dis- 

 tinguished by their large size, and the great propor- 

 tionate length of the row of cheek-teeth. Certain 

 structural differences in the skull are also mentioned ; 

 and the horns are stated to be larger and narrower 

 than in the typical canadensis. 



The fourth race, O. c. mexicana^ from the 

 neighbourhood of Lake Santa Maria, Chihuahua, 

 Mexico, and thence to western Texas, southern 

 New Mexico, and the south of Arizona, is a large 

 sheep, lighter in colour than the Rocky Mountain 

 bighorn, but with the same arrangement of tints, 

 much larger ears, a slightly longer tail, and relatively 

 large cheek-teeth. The general colour is described 

 as drab-brown, with no dorsal stripe, the rump-patch 

 broad ; the throat, legs, and tail darker than the 

 back ; and the chin and inner and hind surfaces of 

 the hind-legs whitish. The colour is said to be 

 intermediate between that of the typical canadensis 

 and the under-mentioned nelsoni ; the massive 

 skull has the frontal region less concave than in 



' Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. xiv. p. 31. 

 * Merriam, op. cit, p. 36. 



T 



