NORTH AMERICAN RUMINANTS 
together with their well-worn trails, to testify to the former exist- 
ence of the immense herds seen in 1873. And now, when only a 
few hundred remain of all the former millions that roamed the 
central portion of the continent, from Great Slave Lake to Texas, 
Congress is reported to be considering a bill for the protection of 
the American Bison! 
The Mountain-Sheep or Bighorns number five species, only 
one of which is at present well represented in the exhibition col- 
lection. This is the Stone Mountain-Sheep from  Bighorns, 
northern British Columbia. Through the Stone Ex- or Moun- 
pedition, however, there has just been secured a fine tain Sheep. 
series of the Dall Mountain-Sheep of Alaska, which will furnish 
material for the illustration of this interesting species by an elab- 
orate group. These two species show the extremes of color in the 
different kinds of our Bighorns, the Stone Sheep being nearly 
black and the Dall Sheep, almost pure white. Of the Rocky 
Mountain Bighorn, the longest known and largest of any of the 
North American members of the genus Ovis, the Museum possesses 
only a pair of poorly mounted specimens. Efforts have been 
made and plans elaborated for the construction of a group of this 
striking species, but the expense of the undertaking has thus far 
compelled the Museum authorities to postpone any attempt to 
prepare it. 
The southern or Nelson Bighorn, recently described from the 
Grapevine mountains on the California-Nevada boundary, and 
the Mexican Bighorn, lately made known from the State of Chi- 
huahua, Mexico, are still desiderata. But the Museum has been 
fortunate enough to secure specimens of the Fannin Mountain 
Sheep, discovered the past year near Dawson, Northwest Terri- 
tory, and known as yet from very few specimens. 
The Rocky Mountain Goats comprise two species, one of 
which has been discovered only recently in the Copper River 
region of Alaska, and very few specimens of it have as 
yet reached any museum. The Mountain Goat of the 
northern United States and British Columbia is rep- 
resented in our exhibition collection by a single specimen. A 
group of this species has long been planned, and a few specimens 
23 
Mountain 
Goats. 
