113 



ORDERS OF MAMMALS— HOOFED ANIMALS 



portion. A large adult ram measures 39 

 inches high at the shoulder, and the ewe 33J 

 inches. 



By reference to the map, it will be seen that 

 this species is very widely distributed throughout 

 Alaska and the Yukon Territory. Ten years 

 ago it was abundant on the Kenai Peninsula, 

 and the head of Cook Inlet, but many have been 

 killed, and the number greatly reduced. Re- 

 cently Congress has passed a law protecting 

 not only the White Sheep, but all the large game 

 animals of Alaska. 



The Black Mountain Sheep, or Stone's 

 Sheep,^ of northern British Columbia, is dis- 

 tinguishable by the wide spread of its horns, the 

 dark-brown color of its sides and upper parts 

 generally, and white abdomen. It is of the 

 same size as the white sheep, but the two species 

 together form a striking contrast. The precise 

 range of the Black Sheep is south of the head 

 waters of the Stickeen River. Although this 

 species and the white sheep have not yet been 

 found inhabiting the same locality, it is probable 

 that they will be, and we have ventured to show 

 both in one plate. 



Fannin's Mountain Sheep' is also a new 

 species, found first on the Klondike River, Yu- 

 kon Territory, in 1900. It is about the size of 

 the white sheep, and has a snow-white head, 

 neck, and tail-patch, and a bluish-gray body, like 

 a white sheep covered with a gray blanket. It 

 ' O'vis stone'i. ^ 0. fan'nin-i. 



also has a blue-gray tail, and a band of brown 

 running down the front of each leg. The first 

 specimen was sent from Dawson City to the 

 Provincial Museum at Victoria, B. C, in 1900, 

 and since then others have reached New York. 



In the table belo\Y are given the measure- 

 ments in inches of some of the largest and finest 

 wild sheep horns with which I am personally 

 acquainted. 



Origin of American Mountain Sheep. — 

 It seems highly probable that a number of spcT 

 cies of North American mammals and bird$ 

 were acquired by immigration from the Oli 

 World. Of this there is no stronger evidence 

 than that furnished by the genus Ovis, whigh 

 was cradled in the mountains of Central Asia. 

 Western Mongolia and Thibet have produced the 

 colossal ArgaU, the wonderful, wide-horned Polo 

 sheep and the robust Siar sheep. 



As the genus spread southward, it produced 

 the small Urial and Burrhel, and stopped short 

 at the northern edge of the super-heated plains 

 of India. But northward, its fate was very difT 

 ferent. From the place of its nativity, — let us 

 say the .Altai Mountains, — there stretches north- 

 eastward through Siberia and Kamchatka, Alas- 

 ka; and British Columbia to northern Mexico a 

 practically unbroken range of mountain sheep, 

 7,500 miles long. From northern India to norths 

 em Mexico, the species stand in the following 

 order: burrhel and urial; Argali and Polo's 

 sheep; Siar sheep; Kamchatkan sheep; whit^ 



MEASUREMENTS OF MOUNTAIN SHEEP HORNS. 



Siberian Ai^Ii, Ovis ammon, . Central Asia 



Marco Polo's 

 Sheep, . . Ovis poli, . Central Asia, 



Siar Sheep, . Ovis siarensis, Central Asia 



Big-Horn, Ovis canaden- ) British .Co- 



sis, . . \ lumbia, 



Blacli Sheep, Ovis sionei, . ) British Co- 



S lumbia. 



White Sheep, . Ovis dalli, . . \ Kenai Pen 



) Alaska, 



Mexican Sheep, Ovis mexica- ) Chihuahua, 



nus, . . . ( Mexico, 



' Circumference half way between base and tip, 16 inches ! Weight, skull and horns, 38 lbs 



