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ON A NEW RACE OF IBEX. 



Capra sibirica lydekkeri snbsp. uov. 

 By HON. WALTER ROTHSCHILD, Ph.D. 



(Plate II.) 



OOME time ago I received through Mr. Hagenbeck, of Hamburg, a very fine pair 

 ^ of an Ibex, which Mr. Hagenbeck thought was remarkable for the size of its 

 horns. On showing it to Mr. Lydekker, he at once perceived that it differed some- 

 what both from the Tian-Shan form, the typical Capra, sibirica, and the Himalayan 

 C. s. sakeen. Since then another male specimen came to London from Mr. Hagen- 

 beck, and was exhibited by Mr. Lydekker at a meeting of the Zoological Society. 

 We had previously supposed that this Ibex was nearest to C. s. duuvergnei , under 

 which name it was exhibited. While, however, making a description of this 

 interesting new subspecies, I have come to the conclusion that it cannot be C. s. 

 ilauccrgnei, both from its different locality and from the strongly pronounced knobs 

 on the horns, and I have much pleasure in naming it after Mr. Lydekker. 



Very old yiuile : Centre of back creamy white, with a deep brown dorsal line 

 running from behind the shoulders to the root of the tail. Head, neck, shoulders 

 and flanks pale brown. Nape of neck and hind-quarters creamy white. Tail from 

 the base for half its length of the same brown colour as the shoulders, rest very deep 

 brown, white on the whole underside. 



Forelegs from the hoof to the knee, hiudlegs from the hoof to the hock brown. 

 Forelegs from the knee to the shoulder of the same brown colour as the lower part 

 of the leg in front, much paler behind. Hindlegs from the back to the stifle-joint of 

 a very deep brown in front, much darker than the lower part of the leg, but 

 behind from the hock upwards pale brownish white, gradually passing into the 

 creamy white colour of the hindquarters. 



Horns very massive and strongly curved. The circumference at the base in 

 proportion to the length much greater than in the three other known subspecies of 

 C. sibirica. The knobs in front of the horns are wider apart, narrower, and not so 

 prominent as in G. s. sakeen, with which I have compared it. From the description 

 in Mr. Lydekker's book this would always seem to be the case in comparison with 

 typical C. sibirica. 



A younger male app)ears to have the white saddle less extended, the general 

 colour of the head and body darker brown and the hair of the legs longer with a 

 more reddish tinge, while the white patch on the nape is very large and of a purer 

 white than in the older male. The female is paler brown all over, with less distinct 

 markings. 



The principal differences between this aud the other three races of C. sibirica 

 appear to be the much larger size and bulk of the animal, the heavy beam of the 

 horns, the large white nape-patch and coloration of the legs, which seems to lie 

 intermediate between that of 0. s. sibirica and that of C. s. sakeen. In the former 

 the legs arc brown in front and white behind for their whole length, while iu the 



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