CHAPTER V
NORTHERN SHEEP

THERE are three species of sheep recognized in the north ;
they are the Ovis dalli, the Ovis fannini, and the Ovis
stonei. The first named is commonly called the White
or Yukon sheep. Type specimens of this species are
white all over, with the exception of a few black hairs in
the tail, and perhaps some along the back which may
not be noticed unless a very careful examination is made.
Nearly all that make their home in this Province have
black tails, and most of them also have at any rate a
sprinkling of dark-coloured hairs along the back. The
area where any of them approach the standard that is
necessary to be classed as pure white sheep is limited and
consists of a small portion of the extreme north-western
part of the Province; that is, to the west of the White Pass
Railway, beyond Lake Bennet. In that district there are
some extremely white sheep, an occasional one of which
will have a white tail. To the east of the White Pass
Railway through to Atlin Lake, and from there all the
way to Teslin Lake, there are sheep that appear white in
the distance, but every one that I have actually handled
has proved to have dark hair on the back as well as a
black tail.

The Ovis fannini, usually called the Saddle-back sheep,
is really nothing more than a cross between the dalli and
stonei. So called type specimens have the .head, breast,
abdomen, rump, and most of the legs white. The tail is
black, or nearly so, and is connected by a narrow strip
of dark brown hair, which runs through the white rump
patch, with the dark hair of the back. The body, except

the white parts, is covered with a mixture of black, dark
55