Asiatic Muflon 159 



selves in the middle of a bush of macquia^ or in the shadow which it casts. 

 The ewes, who are naturally less conspicuous, do this in a less degree. 

 The muflon are also assisted by the wonderful alertness of their eyes. 

 I do not think that they see at a great distance, but they detect an 

 exceedingly slight sign at a moderate range. . . . When startled they 

 whistle as a chamois, and as a Highland sheep occasionally does." 



2. The Asiatic Muflon — Ovis orientalis 



Ovis miisiinon orientalis, Brandt and Ratzeburg, McJ. Zoo/, vol. i. p. 54 

 (1829). 



Ovis gmelini, Blyth, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1840, p. 6g ; Brooke, i/yii/. 1875, 

 p. 526 ; Blanford, Eastern Persia, vol. ii. p. 88 (1876) ; Danford and Alston, 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. 1877, p. 276, 1880, p. 55; VV. L. Sclater, Cat. Mamin. linl. 

 Mus. pt. ii. p. 139 (1891) ; Ward, Records of Big Ga/z/e, p. 258 (1896) ; 

 Satunin, Zool. Ja/irl>. Syst. vol. ix. p. 312 (1896). 



Ovis orientalis, Keyserling and Blasius, JVirbelthiere Ei/rop. p. 29 (1840); 

 Wagner, Schreber's Siiiigetliiere, vol. iv. p. 507 (1844) ; Nehring, Zool. Garten, 

 vol. xxviii. p. 378 (1887). 



Ovis [Miisinion) orientalis. Gray, Knows ley Menagerie, p. 36 (1850). 



Caprovis [Miisimon) orientalis. Gray, Cat. Vngulata Brit. Mus. p. 172 

 (1852), Cat. Ruminants Brit. Mus. p. 56 (1872). 



Ovis anatolica, \^ilenciennes, CR. Ac. Paris, vol. xliii. p. 65 (1850). 



Caprovis orientalis, Gray, Hand-list Ruminants Brit. Mus. p. 131 (1873). 



Characters. — Typically of larger size than the European muflon, the 

 height at the shoulder reaching to about 2 feet 9 inches. Females horn- 

 less. Horns of males rather large, curving at hrst outwards, upwards, 

 and slightly backwards, and then backwards, downwards, and inwards, so 

 that their tips are situated over the withers, instead of curving forwards 

 below the eyes ; the spiral usually forming only about one halt ot a circle ; 



