little use in bringing the musk-cattle to bay. . . . The musk-ox usually
stops when wounded, and shows little inclination to go on ; and, as a rule,
they will stand until the last one has been killed, narrowing their circle as
their numbers diminish.” When attacked by their great enemy the wolf,
they also form a circle, with the calves in the middle, and the lowered
heads of the adults facing the enemy.
In spite of the wholesale slaughter, Mr. Pike is of opinion that even on
the mainland the musk-ox stands in little, if-any danger of impending
extermination. Even on the most frequented hunting-grounds it is still
met with in vast numbers, and all these tracts are situated only on the
extreme verge of the musk-ox country, which extends to the desolate
regions bordering the Arctic Ocean, where only a few Eskimo eke out an
existence near the coast. This impenetrable country probably serves therefore
as a feeder to the hunted districts farther south.
2. H a r l a n ’s M usk-O x— Ovibos bombifrons (Extinct)
Bos bombifrons, Harlan, Fauna Americana, p. 271 (1825).
Bbotherium bombifrons, Leidy, Proc. Acad. Philadelphia, vol. vi. p. 7 1
(1852).
Bbotherium cavifrons, Leidy, loc. cit. (1852).
Ovibos priscus, Riitimeyer, Verb. Ges. Basel, set. 2, vol. iv. p. 328 (1865).
Ovibos bombifrons, Dawkins, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. xxxix. p. 577
(1883) ; Lydekker, Cat. Foss. Mamm. Brit. Mus. pt. ii. p. 39 (1885).
Ovibos cavifrons, Dawkins, loc. cit. (1883) ; Lydekker, op. cit. p. 40
(1885) ; M‘Gee, Amer. Journ. Science, ser. 3, vol. xxxiv. p. 2 17 (1887).
Characters.—Horn-cores of male directed mainly outwards and somewhat
downwards at the tips, without the close approximation to the sides
of the skull characteristic of the existing species ; their bases much less
expanded than in the latter, and apparently less approximated in the middle
line, possibly also smoother. In the female cylindrical and rugose, with
an outward direction, so as to form a regular curve with the convexity in
front.
The small skull described as Bbotherium bombifrons is, I think, rightly
identified by Mr. Boyd Dawkins as indicating the female of the animal of
which the male is represented by the skull subsequently named B . cavifrons.
In the latter the centre of the forehead is deeply excavated and the bases
of the horn-cores are nearly smooth, but (judging from the cast in the
British Museum) it appears that these features are largely due to injury
or imperfection, as may also be the relations of the frontal plane to that of
the sockets of the eyes.
As regards the curvature of the horns, this species would seem to be
less specialised than the last, thereby suggesting an American origin for
the genus.
Distribution.—North America during the Plistocene period ; the skull
described as Bbotherium bombifrons was obtained from Kentucky, and the
,|ne named B . cavifrons from Arkansas.
III. T he Sh e e p— G enus Ovis
Ovis, Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. 12, vol. i. p. 97 (1766).
Characters.-*—Size medium or small ; build of moderate stoutness, with
the limbs rather long and slender ; neck of moderate depth and length,
and the head carried well above the level of the back; no dewlap.
Muzzle narrow, pointed, and covered with short fine hair, save for a
small naked area immediately above and between the nostrils ; glands
invariably present between the hoofs of both feet, and frequently also on
the face below the eyes ; two teats in the female ; no beard or strong
odour in the males ; ears moderate, upright, pointed, and well haired ;
tail in all wild species except one short and pointed ; main hoofs