Siberian Argali 177 



regard to their liorns are to a certain extent intermediate between the 

 typical omiuon and the variety oF prAi named kareitiii. But these sheep are 

 in colour so different from both that, in the present state of information, 

 it appears desirable to keep tliem apart. 



The weight of males of the Tibetan race has been estimated to reach 

 from 250 to ^550 lbs. ; one specimen is known to have weighed 205 lbs., and 

 a second 2 i 2 lbs. 



Distrihittioii. — The countries bordering the Gobi Desert, being deffnitely 

 known from Mongolia, north of Pekin, through Eastern Siberia and 

 Northern Mongx)lia to the Semipalatinsk Altai, and thence tlirough the 

 Kuenlun, and perliaps tlie district north ot the Mustag, to the Tibetan 

 plateau. Although it is not definitely ascertained that the range is con- 

 tinuous from North-Eastern Mongolia to the Kuenlun, vet it is most 

 probable that this will be tound to be the case. Apart from this, it seems 

 fiiirlv evident that the distributional area ot the ii/iuiiou type torms a hollow 

 ellipse, or perhaps a horse-shoe, on the north-western border of which 

 are situated the districts inhabited by the po/i type and the sheep here 

 called O. sdirciisis. 



a. Siberian Race — Ovis amnion tvpica 



Ovis argali altaica, Severtzoff", Trans. Soc. Moscoii., vol. viii. art. 2, 

 P- 154 (1873). 



Ovis argali inoiigoiica, Severtzoff", loc. cit. 



Plate XIV. 



Characters. — Size very large, the dimensions being the maximum 

 attained by the species. Horns of male very massive, long, and curving 

 much outwards at the tips, which are generally entire, so as to form 



