Body stout; nose narrow, pointed; ears small, pointed; tail, including hair, shorter than ear; lateral hoofs present; no beard on chin, horns of male either spiralled with tips directed outwards or bent in an arc with tips pointing either forward or toward each other behind the head; pedal glands and preorbital glands present, subcaudal glands absent. Coronal suture projecting forward in an angle; infraorbital foramen small, with well defined rim, about equal to length of P4; upper ends of premaxillae not usually wedged between nasals and maxillae; lambdoidal suture forming more or less straight line.

KEY TO NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF OVIS

1. Upper parts some shade of brown; length of nasals in males usually more than 105, in females usually more than 85.

O. canadensis, p. 1031

1’. Upper parts whitish (except in O. d. stonei, which is brownish-black); length of nasals in males usually less than 105, in females usually less than 85. . . . . O. dalli, p. 1034

External measurements: (♂) 1326-1953, 70-150, 357-482; (♀) 1166-1887, 77-130, 276-420. Weights to 156 kg. Basilar length of skull, (♂) 247-285, (♀) 226-261; zygomatic breadth, (♂) 117-135, (♀) 107-123; mastroid breadth (♂) 84-96, (♀) 77-96. Upper parts of Natal Brown or Mars Brown to Vinaceous Buff or Pale Vineaceous Fawn, underparts light brown to white, rump yellowish white to white. Horns of adult males massive, broad at base (to 18 ½ ins. in circumference), not widespread (to 26 ins. from tip to tip). From O dalli, O canadensis differs in average larger external and cranial measurements, more massive, less rugose, and less widely expanded horns, and in having some shade of brown, rather than white or blackish.

Mountain sheep formerly inhabited the foothills of the western mountains, but with the advent of white men, they moved into the mountains and are now found only in mountainous areas. The food is mostly grass in the northern parts of the range, but in the south parts if primarily browse. In Colorado the breeding season is in November and December and the single lamb is born after a gestation period of 180 days, in May or June. In Texas, lambs are born in March or April.

. . .

Ovis canadensis mexicana Merriam

1901. Ovis mexicanus Meriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 14:30, April 5, type from Lago de Santa Maria, Chihuauha.

1901. Ovis canadensis mexicanus Lydekker, The Great and small game of Europe, western and northern Asia and America, p. 11

1907. Ovis canadensis gaillardia Mearns, Bull. .S. Na. Mus, 56:240, April 13, type from Gila Mountains, between Tinajas Altas and Mexican boundary, Yuma Co., Arizona.

1912. Ovis canadensis texianus V. Baily, proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 25:109, June 29, type from Guadalupe Mountains, El Paso Co., Texas.

1916. Ovis sheldoni Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 29:130, September 6, type from El Rosario, northern Sonora.