Afrii. 2i 1897J 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
328 
STONK S,SHBBP 
stone's moxjntaui sheep. 
MOIT^TTArW SHEEP. 
ast record will prove it true, for on the morning of March 
23 I observed in the orchard a small and active bird which 
looted like an infant pboebe, but as I watched him a moment 
catching flies I knew he was the least of all the great fly- 
catcher family, and even as I watched him his characteristic 
and merry call ehe-bec, cTie-hec, fell upon my ear, filling my 
heart with gladness, for 1 knew that spring was truly here. 
Epwin Ibyiwe Haikes 
A NEW SPECIES OF MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 
((his stonei, Allen.) 
At the Sportsmen's Exposition, held last month, there was 
shown a group of three mounted bighorn or mountain sheep, 
which attracted much attention from persons familiar with 
this animal. The specimens in this group were of different 
ages, one being apparently a yearling, one three or four years 
old and one perhaps six. They were remarkable to the eye 
for their small size, for the slenderness of their horns and 
for their color, which was very dark, the hairs, which in the 
summer coat of the ordinary mountain sheep are wood 
brown, being black. As a label stated that these specimens 
came from Alaska, a number of -individuals, rf cognizing 
that these were not the common mountain sheep, jumped to 
the conclusion that they were Ball's mountain sheep — an 
Alaska form— in its summer coat. The original desciiption 
of j3al!'s mountain sheep speaks of it as being of a "neaily 
uniform dirty white color," but, if the type specimens were 
winter skins, this might not give any clue to the summer 
pelage, as it is well known that in the late winter all moun- 
tain sheep become extremely pale in color. 
In an article of Volume 7X., of the Bulletin of the Ameri- 
can Museum of Natural History, Dr, J. A. Allen describes 
these three specimen' as representatives of a new species of 
mountain sheep which he called Ovis stonei, after Mr, A. S. 
Stone, of Montana, the collector of these specimens and the 
one who brought them to public notice. Dr. Allen's de- 
scription of the oldest of these sheep is given below, and a 
comparison of this description with that of an adult moun- 
tain sh( ep (Oms cem^a) taken in summer will cleai-ly show 
the points of difference. The description is as follows: 
Ovis stonei— Allen. 
Male Adult.— Aboye gray, formed by an Intimate mixture of whit- 
ish and blacKish brown; face, ears and sides of neck lighter and 
more whitish, being much less varied with blacljish brown ; whole 
posterior area and lower parts from hinder part of back downward 
and forward, covering the posterior aspect of thighs, and the abdo- 
mpn, white, the white area narrowing anteriorly and terminating in 
a V-shaped point on the middle of the chest; also a broad, sharply- 
defined oand of white on the posterior surface of both fore and hind 
limbs, extending from the boay to the hoofs, and proximally includ- 
ing also the inner surf ace ; front of nect, from base of lower jaw 
posteriorly to the white of the ventral surface. Including the breast 
and greater part of the chest, and thence along the sides to the 
thighs, nearly black; the lateral extension along the flanks becomes 
narrower posteriorly, and the neck is somewhat grizzled with 
white; outer surface of both fore and hind limbs blackish 
brown, either uniform or in some specimens varied with a slight 
mixture of whitish; back of head with a broad area of black, narrow- 
ing posteriorly and continuing to the tail as a well-defined blackish 
dorsal stripe; tail wholly deep black, except a few white hairs on the 
middle of its lower surface; a narrow, blackish chin bar, varying In 
breadth and distinctness in dififereni individuals; hoofs black; horns 
light brown. 
MeaBurements fof type, i ad.).— (Measurements from mounted 
specimens, taken with a tapeJine and following the curvatures of the 
parts measured.) Tip of nose to base of tail, ] 676mm. ; tall vertebrae, 
89; tail to end of hairs, 121 ; tip of nose to eye, 197; tip of nose to base 
of par, 305; lengih of horn (over convexity), 76i; distance between 
points of horns. 553; circumference of horn at base, 824; circumfer- 
ence of horn at middle, 316; circumference of front lioof at base, 190. 
As a resident of Montana Mr, Stone is no doubt well ac- 
quainted with the ordinary form of mountain sheep found 
tliere, and he states to Mr, Allen that he is familiar also with 
Ovis dalli, which he reports as occurring some 250 miles 
north of the locality where he obtained the specimens here 
described. 
Dr. Allen gives the following observations on the habits of 
Ovis stonei, as observed by the collector : 
"The three animals were killed in the Ohe-on neexMoua- 
tains, British Northwest Territory. These mountains are a 
part of the interior of the Coast Range, drained by the head- 
waters of the Stickeen Eiver, and not far from Alaska Ter- 
ritory. 
"The timber line in this country extends only to a height 
of about 3,500ft., giving the mountain ranges the appearance 
of being quite high, but in reality there are no high moun- 
tains in this section of the Coast Range. 
"The only specimens of this sheep 1 had the opportunity of 
studying were the males, which I found during the months 
of August and Septembpr in the most rugged parts of the 
mountains, entirely above timber line, I often found them 
singly, and at no time did I discover more than five in one 
bunch, though one of my party reported having seen eleven 
together. I saw perhaps fifty head, and secured twelve 
specimens. I was very careful in my study of these interest- 
ing animals, and I f jund them to be very uniformly marked, 
both in color and general characteristics. 
"The youngest of the three, now in the Museum, was se- 
cured Aug. 8, 1896, in a very deep and rocky canon just at 
the base of one of the highest peaks in this part of the moun- 
tains. At the time I discovered him he was all alone, tiaye- 
fully making his way down the caflon, and from what I 
afterward learned I am very much inclined to believe he was 
then in quest of the ewes, lambs and yearlings in the edge of 
the timber further down the mountain side, and it is quite 
likely that he had not yet regularly taken up the company of 
the older rams. 
"The two older specimens were taken Aug. 10, about five 
miles distant from the first, and were the only ones in the 
bunch. I watched them an entire afternoon before kilhng 
them. They passed the time alternately nibbling at tiny bits 
of grass occasionally seen peeping from crevices in the rocks, 
and playing or lying down on patches of snow and ice. 
They were very fat, 
"Specimens taken two months later possessed the same 
markings, but were somewhat darker." 
We are indebted to the American Museum of Natural 
History for the accompanying cuts, which illustrate Dr. 
Allen's description of this species. The heads of 0. stonei 
and 0. cerinna are photographed to the same scale, so that a 
direct comparison of the size of parts may be made. 
Disappearance Extraordinary. 
The following account, given me by Leroy Newman, a 
veteran of unimpeachable veracity, with whom 1 have been 
acquaintedfor many years, I send to the Forrst and Steeam 
with the assurance that very few occurrences are more phe- 
nomenal than that related by my venerable friend. As near 
as possible I report it in his own words: 
"I was living in Wayne county on Beech Pork. One day 
I was out in the field standing near a tree that had been 
blown over. Qui'^e close to the branches of the tree was a 
hole in the ground , apparently having been made by some 
wild animal. It was nearly perpendicular and of consider- 
able size, say large enough for a wood chuck to enter. I 
heard a rushing sound, and looking up saw a hawk pursu- 
ing a quail with astonishing velocity, the birds making an 
almost perpendicular descent. 
"It seems the hawk was so near his prey and so intense the 
terror of the quail that the bird sought the first object, how- 
ever unusual, for refuge from his merciless pursuer. With 
a sound like that of a stone thrown heavily on the ground, 
both quail and hawk, like lightning, plunged into the hole I 
have mentioned. 1 was wonder-stricken. Fright seemed to 
have rendered the quail insane, so to speak, and the eager- 
ness of the pursuer, with his eye only upon the prize, pre- 
cluded a suspicion of danger to himself. I looked into the 
hole, expecting to find the birds dead or dying, but both had 
disappeared in its dark depths. I worked for an hour with 
a forked stick to twist them out, but could neither feel nor 
see a trace of them." N. D. Eltdjg. 
West YiaaiNU, 
Anent the Adirondack Moose, the Panther 
and the Wolf. 
It is said that Gov. Seymour shot the last moose known to 
exist in the Adirondacks" In his celebrated address to the 
Auburn prison, he said that he had made eighteen sad mis- 
takes in his life — the killing of the moose I have ever believed 
to be included as one of them. 
The panther is well-nigh extinct, yet there may be a pair 
or two in hiding in the Oswegatchie end of the Wilderness. 
Brother Higby's statement in your i?sue of the 17th in 
relation to wolves, is truthful and to the point. He thinks 
there may be fifteen yet on the warpath in the grand old 
Garden of Eden, I think there are more — at least twenty- 
five or thirty. Two years ago there was surely a band of 
six to ten in that part of the Wilderness surrounding First 
Lake, on the north branch of Moose River. The surest and 
most eilectual way to put an end to them is to treat 
them as often as possible to a dose of strychnine, for they are 
prolific breeders, bringing forth twice a year sometimes six 
to ten pups at a litter. 
Something like forty years ago, Ed Arnold, one of the 
best known guides who ever tramped the trails of New 
York's grand old Highlands, shot the most magnificent 
panther ever cornered on .John Brown's track. When 
mounted by Mr. Hurst, one of the best taxidermists on 
earth, I bought the specimen, and for years and years it was 
the admiration of aU who beheld it. I sold it for $35 to a 
furrier in Utica, always much regretting the sale. This most 
ferocious beast was driven with Arnold's pack of deer- 
hounds, into a ledge of rock in that territory known to the 
woodsmen as "Hell Hollow," the low lands abounding in 
cliffs and rocks only about two or three miles from Fulton 
Chain station. When the monster was brought to bay Ed 
must have been on his best nerve, for he put a rifle ball as 
near the center of his skull as it could be located with a com- 
pass. I now have the remnant of a wolfskin, which one of 
the Arnold boys gave me, the inner fur from which I use in 
building up the bodies of salmon flies. John B. McHakg. 
Carnivorous Squirrels and Duck Eggs. 
New York, April 14. — Editor Forest and Stream: In 
your last issue appeared a letter from that prince among 
sporting writers, Jacobstaff, in which he expresses a doubt 
about squirrels ever being carnivorous, and points to the teeth 
as an argument in his favor. Did Jacobstaff ever hear of 
rats and mice, which have teeth somewhat like the squirrels, 
eating meat? 
In point of fact the common red squirrel is a persistent 
robber of the nests of small birds, a favorite dainty with him 
being a young bird before its feathers have sprouted. I have 
shot squirrels when they were in the act of eating young 
birds. 
The last wounded squirrel I picked up was a black fellow, 
and if he wasn't carnivorous (with a big K) I'd hate to be 
bitten by a carnivorous animal ! 
Concerning the alleged destruction of duck eggs in the 
North: I have shot over northern Canada as far as the 
Pacific Coast, and have yet to meet the man. who has any 
personal knowledge of the wholesale destruction of eggs. 
During my several years' connection with the C. P Ry. I 
never heard of traffic in duck eggs. Edwin W. SAHDrs. 
News of Mr. Ferdinand's Bobin. 
Dr. J. S. NiVEN sends us this from the London, Out. 
i^ree Press of April 10: One day lately a student of the 
Waterford High School caught a robin which had a piece of 
paper tied on its leg, and on which was written the follow- 
ing query: "Where wiU this robin build its nest in the com- 
ing spring?" The note was signed by N. Jules Ferdinand 
Box 415, Tampa, Fla. The student immediately wrote to 
Florida announcing the capture of the bird. 
