NATURAL HISTORY. 



When a bird or a wild animal is killed, that is the end of it. It photographed, it may still live and its education^ 



and scientific value is multiplied indefinitely. 



MOUNTAIN SHEEP LORE FROM ALASKA. 



Dawson, Y. Ter. 

 Editor Recreation : 



In your valuable Recreation, of March, 

 1901, I read an article by Mr. Wm. T. 

 Hornaday on mountain sheep. No doubt 

 Mr. Hornaday studied the subject carefully, 

 but there is a doubt whether or not' some 

 of the authorities are correct. Regarding 

 Ovis montana and the California sheep, 

 Ovis nelsoni, I believe Mr. Hornaday is cor- 

 rect ; also regarding the white sheep of 

 Alaska and Canada, Ovis dalli. The ques- 

 tion is, are Ovis stonei and Ovis fannini 

 new species? 



Would Mr. Hornaday and naturalists in 

 general call a white beaver, a marten with 

 white feet or tail, a black, blue, or fawn 

 colored wolf, a straw colored quail, a white 

 blackbird, or a cow moose with antlers, 

 new species? If these freaks are new spe- 

 cies, then by all means call Stone's sheep, 

 Ovis stonei and Brown's Ovis fannini. If 

 not, call them what they are, Ovis dalli. 



I have observed that some specimens of 

 Ovis dalli are slightly colored, sometimes 

 like the description of Ovis stonei, then 

 again like the description of Ovis fannini. 

 Besides, there are other variations, too 

 numerous to describe minutely. Some of 

 these variations have the dark markings 

 only on the legs from the knees and hocks 

 down ; others have only dark necks ; others 

 only dark rumps. Some have white hoofs, 

 some black. If Ovis stonei and Ovis fan- 

 nini are new species, the naturalists would 

 better send other men here to name 

 white beavers, white footed martens, vari- 

 ous colored wolves, also the different "new 

 species" of sheep. Then we could have 

 Ovis tomi, Ovis dicki and Ovis harryi. 



I have seen pure white sheep with off- 

 spring colored and vice versa. I will not 

 ask anyone to believe my statement until 

 it is proven, therefore I should like to see 

 someone sent in here who would write of 

 things as they are. Naturalists as well as 

 the public at large could learn a little. 



Have you or any of your readers ever 

 seen or heard of a cow moose with antlers? 

 In July, 1900, I shot a cow with antlers, 

 mistaking her for a bull. On going up to 

 her I started her calf which had just 

 finished his lunch of milk. The antlers, of 

 course, were in the velvet and only about 

 8 inches long. I could not save the head 



463 



as I was about 400 miles from the Yukon 

 and in very rough country. 



Geo. L. Bull. 



ANSWER. 



When a naturalist describes an animal as 

 a new species he does it solely on the evi- 

 dence before him, and not on the opinion 

 of any traveler or collector. Every natural- 

 ist of standing is so particular about the 

 stability of his work, and so anxious it 

 should stand the test of time, that it would 

 be folly for him to be influenced by the de- 

 sires of anyone. Dr. J. A. Allen, of the 

 American Museum, described the specimens 

 of mountain sheep collected by Mr. Stone 

 without the slightest reference to the opin- 

 ions of anyone else. The evidence before 

 him, in 3 mounted specimens, unmistak- 

 ably indicated a species new to the scien- 

 tific world. Already a sufficient number of 

 specimens have been collected to supply the 

 great museums of New York, Chicago, and 

 Washington, and they fully sustain the 

 validity of the new species. In this part of 

 the world, there is not the slightest question 

 among scientific men, or any others, as far 

 as I know, regarding the specific rank of 

 Ovis stonei. You are the only man of 

 whom or from whom I have heard, who 

 believes that this animal is the same as the 

 white sheep, Ovis dalli. If you had ever 

 seen a specimen of Stone's sheep, I am 

 sure you would not hold to your present 

 opinion, for to consider it the same as the 

 white sheep, you would have to doubt the 

 evidence of your senses. 



Ovis fannini was described by Mr. 

 Hornaday wholly on the strength of a fine 

 adult speciment which he found in the mu- 

 seum at Victoria. Any naturalist, in his 

 senses, would have described it as a distinct 

 species. Since that specimen was described, 

 other specimens, confirming this species, 

 have been received from Dawson, and are 

 now at the American Museum of Natural 

 History, and the New York Zoological 

 Park. 



If it is really true that the white sheep 

 is given to developing all sorts of freaks in 

 color, such as you say you have observed, 

 this fact is important, and should be estab- 

 lished by the gathering of specimens ex- 

 hibiting these variations, and sending them 

 to some scientific institution. If it is true 

 that the white sheep varies its color in the 

 remarkable manner described, you can make 

 an extremely interesting contribution to 



