ISO 



Sheei 



symmetrical, rather small, narrow, and upright ; lateral hoofs also small. 

 Both sexes generally provided with horns, which are large and spreading 

 in the males, but, except in one case, small and upright in the females ; 

 those of males directed at first outwardly trom the sides of the head, with 

 the upper border convex at starting, and then generally torming a circular 

 or spiral curve, with the tips pointing outwards; in section generally more 

 or less distinctly triangular, and the surface, of which the colour is usually 

 some shade of yellowish-olive or brown, in most cases marked by fine 

 parallel transverse wrinkles. Pelage usually consisting of close, short, 

 stiff hair, which may be elongated into a ruff on the chest and throat, and 

 in one instance is long and shaggy on the whole of the throat, chest, and 

 front surface of the fore-limbs ; coloration usually some shade of rufous, 

 brown, or tawny, becoming lighter on the under-parts, and in some cases 

 with blackish markings between the dark and light areas and on the limbs. 

 Upper molar teeth with tall, narrow crowns, on the inner side of which 

 there is no additional small column comparable to that of the oxen. When 

 face-glands are developed, the skull has shallow pits below the eyes for 

 their reception, but only very small unossified vacuities. Cannon-bones in 

 both limbs relatively long and slender, and thus quite unlike those of 

 either the oxen or the musk-ox. 



As additional characters of the skeleton, it mav l^e mentioned that the 

 skull is broadest across the sockets of the eyes, which are fairly prominent 

 but not distinctly tubular ; below these it narrows suddenly, and thence 

 tapers gradually to the muzzle ; the planes of the forehead and the occiput 

 (the latter of which includes the parietal bones) meet one another nearly 

 at a right angle, the true occiput being almost flat. 



Although very closely connected with the goats, the relationship of 

 the sheep to other members of the family Bovidie is still very obscure. 

 They appear to be an essentially modern group, possibly even of later 

 origin than the oxen, as it is doubtful whether they are represented in the 



