Guide to the great fame animals (Ungulata) in the Department of Zoology, British Museum (Natural History) : Illustrated by 53 text and other figures.

  • British Museum (Natural History). Department of Zoology.
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Guide to the great fame animals (Ungulata) in the Department of Zoology, British Museum (Natural History) : Illustrated by 53 text and other figures. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [Cftse47.] less developed and the wrinkles finer than in the Uriah The Mouflon is stated to have formerly inhabited Greece and Spain, but this requires confirmation. Mouflon associate in flocks of considerable size under the leadership of an old ram ; but during the breeding-season they split up into small parties, each com- prising a ram and several ewes. In some Mouflon the females have small horns; and it is not improbable that the Sardinian and Corsican representatives of the species are respectively distinguished by the presence or absence of horns in this sex. The adult ram exhibited was presented by Mr. Ford Barclay. The Bharal or Blue Sheep This Tibetan wild SheeP (,068)’ rePre- Ovis nahura. the subgenus Pseudois, forms one of the connecting links between [Case 48.] the typical Sheep and the Goats; the horns of the rams being nearly smooth, with a rounded or sub-quadrangular section at the base, and the curvature of a peculiar form. The face has no gland below the eye, and there is consequently no depression in the same region of the skull. From the more typical wild Sheep this species is further distinguished by the greater relative length of the tail. Bharal are never found below an elevation of about 10,000 feet above the sea-level; and in summer usually ascend to between 14,000 and 16,000. In general habits, the Bharal is intermediate between other Sheep and the Goats; but the males lack the strong odour characteristic of the latter. The colouring, especially the black and white on the legs, is also of a goat-like type. Even more aberrant than the Bharal is the Barbary Sheep, Arui or Udad (1069), which is further noticeable [Case 48.] on account of being the only member of the family found in Africa. The skull and horns present a considerable general resemblance to those of the Bharal, but the throat, chest, and fore- limbs are clothed with a mass of long hair, and the length of the tail is considerably greater than in any other wild Sheep. The colour is uniform red. The Arui inhabits the dry southern slopes of the Atlas from Tunis to the Atlantic, but is unknown in the heart of the range. In the Sudan it is found on the mountains nearly as far south as Khartum. It is capable of going for several days without water, and is difficult to detect owing to the Barbary Wild Sheep, or Arui. Ovis lervia.