MISCELLANEOUS. 41? 



animal shot by myself measured when dead on the ground exactly 36 inch, a 

 This however was, I should say, considerably under his real height, as after 

 death the muscles relax. The length of the body, from rump to chest, w~as 

 42| inches. Horns only 27 inches long, but nearly 12 inches in circumfercm se 

 at the base. My Pathan shikaree calculated the age of the beast by the 

 number of dark rings on the horns. He made it out to be eight years old, and 

 there is no reason to doubt his statement, as I hare never found this method 

 lead to extravagant results. The longest Markhor horns which I have ever 

 come across in Afghanistan, I do not think would have measured more than 

 36 inches, and as a rule the very long horns are not so massive as those of 

 medium size. The pair in my possession are about as massive as any I have 

 ever seen. 



There are two kinds of Markhor in Afghanistan, one with horns diverging 

 considerably at the points, and the ether with homs not more than 17 or 

 18 inches across from tip to tip. The former is called by the Pathans " Nussel," 

 and the latter " Assel." Those horns which diverge a great deal are longer, 

 but not so massive as the others. 



The general colour of an old male is a dirty iron grey. His beard is long and 

 flowing, and much darker than the rest of his body. In summer his coat is 

 short, but long in winter. From April to November there is a reddish tinge 

 about it, while during the remaining months it loses this and becomes more 

 grizzly. The females are less than half the size of the males, and are of a 

 dark fawn colour. Sterndale states that they have a short., black beard. I 

 myself have never seen one with anything more than the merest rudiments of a 

 beard, while many have absolutely no signs of it. They have short twisted 

 horns about 8 to 10 inches long. 



The Markhor frequent the loftiest and most precipitous mountains of 

 Afghanistan, the chief ranges in British territory being Zargungar, terminating 

 north-west in the peak of Takatoo, and what one may call the Kaliphat range, 

 terminating east, in the mountains of Sham, overlooking the Bori valley. 

 Zargungar rises to an elevation of 11,700 feet, and Sham to about 11,200. 



Owing to the difficult nature of the ground, and the extreme wariness of the 

 old males, Markhor shooting in Afghanistan is, I believe, the most trying sport 

 one can possibly undertake. The best months are November, December and 

 January, for at this season the males mix with the females, and are consequently 

 much easier to find than at any other time of the year. The 1 Markhor 



that I bagged, was shot in the following manner, which will give you a fan- 

 idea of what this kind of sport really is : — For nearly six weeks i lived out on 

 the hills with nothing but my rifle and a blanket, accompanied by three 

 Pathans, and although I worked exceedingly hard the whole time, I never was 

 fortunate enough to secure a really good head. I had shot in all seven 

 Markhors, butthe heads were small, and I wasnot altogether 1. Fin illy 



I resolved to return to my fixed camp and take a rest, as all of us were more or 



