MAIIMALS OF XORTHEKN CANADA 173 



than one instance where a stray animal had been killed at 

 fully 100 miles from the nearest "Barrens." The most 

 southerly wandering of the species beyond the limits of its 

 normal range is that recorded by Mr. Preble in North Amer- 

 ican Fauna, No. 22 (1902). A pair was seen on the 

 " Barrens " between York Factory and Fort Churchill, in 

 about latitude 57° north, and the male was shot. This 

 authentic information was obtained by Mr. Preble from Dr. 

 Alexander Milne, now Assistant Commissioner at Moose 

 Factory, Hudson Bay. 



The northern range of the musk ox is truly polar. Nearly 

 every wintering Arctic expedition has met with them singly 

 or in small (never in large) herds. Former traces have also 

 been observed at many northern points, while on one occa- 

 sion a travelling party on Melville Land (Island) saw a 

 pure white individual among a comparatively large herd — 

 probably the only instance of the kind on record. Between 

 Sept. 3, 1852, and Sept. 9, 1853, the hunters of Her Ma- 

 jesty's Arctic ship Resolute shot 114 musk oxen on Melville 

 Island, a clear proof of itself that they are fairly abundant 

 in that remote locality. Doctor Armstrong, of the Investi- 

 gator, isays that in Prince of Wales Strait five, and during 

 his stay in Mercy Bay, Banks Land, two, full-gro«'n animals 

 were killed. Several were also shot by himself and Lieuten- 

 ant Pirn on Melville Island. In 1875-76 Sir George Nares, 

 of Her Majesty's exploring ship Alert, who wintered in 

 latitude 82° 27' north, longitude 61° 22' west, secured quite 

 a number of animals. The first herd seen consisted of a 

 veteran and two young bulls and four old and two young 

 cows. They were all surrounded and, with the exception 

 of the first-mentioned, which required several bullets to finish 

 him, were easily killed. Nares refers to the fact that in 

 1872 the cirew of the American expedition ship Polaris shot 

 twenty-six animals on the opposite side of Kennedy Channel 

 during the twelve months passed by them in that latitude. 



Markham remarks that "musk oxen ascend hills and 



