Page:Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (IA journalofacademy01acaduoft).pdf/19

Rh that the sheep are very abundant on the heights, and among the cliffs, of the adjacent mountains; and that these two had been lately killed out of a herd of thirty-six, at no great distance from the village." Vol. ii. p. 233.

"The Indians assert, that there are great numbers of the white buffalo or mountain sheep, on the snowy heights of the mountains, west of Clark's river. They generally inhabit the rocky and most inaccessible parts of the mountain, but as they are not fleet, are easily killed by the hunters." Vol. ii. p. 331.

In the above passages we are made acquainted with the important fact, that, besides the Argali or Big-horned sheep, we have another species in North America of the genus Ovis. The smaller of the two skins, which the Indian offered to sale at Brant Island, was purchased by captain Lewis, and was presented by him to the museum of Philadelphia. It is undoubtedly the skin of a young animal; it measures three feet from the insertion of the tail to the neck, its breadth is twenty-six inches; the tail is short, but it was probably not skinned to the end; along the back there runs a ridge of coarse hair, about three inches in length, and bristled up in the manner of that of the common goat, this ridge is continued up the neck, forming a kind of mane, and is thicker, coarser, and longer there than that of the back; the whole of the skin is closely covered with short wool, of an extreme fineness, surpassing in this quality that of any breed with which I am acquainted, not excepting the wool of the Merino lamb—a coat of hair conceals this wool, but on dividing the former with the hands, the latter lies so thick that the hairs are scarcely visible; the ears are narrow, and taper to a point, they are nearly four inches long; the