304 



Tahr 



Plate XXVII. 



Characters. — Build much the same as in the Himalayan tahr, but the 

 size rather larger, the height at the shoulder varying from 39 to 42 inches 

 in the males, although not exceeding 2>S ''iches in the females. Face 

 slightly concave on the forehead and a little convex on the lower part of 

 the nose. Hair short, thick, and coarse, forming a short stiff mane on the 

 back of the neck and shoulders in males. Horns nearly in contact at their 



Fig. 60. — Side view of head of male Nilgiri Tahr. (Rowland Ward, Records of Big Giime.) 



bases, from which thev run almost parallel tor some distance, then curving 

 rapidly backwards and gradually diverging ; transversely wrinkled through- 

 out their extent ; the inner surface flat, the outer highly convex, with a 

 low compressed keel on the front inner edge, the hinder aspect rounded. 

 General colour dark yellowish-brown, with a grayish tinge in the does 

 and kids ; a dark streak down the middle of the hack, and the under-parts 

 paler. In old males the general colour of the upper- parts dark sepia- 

 brown, passing into blackish on the face ; a fawn-coloured ring round each 

 eye, a patch behind the same and a streak down the sides ot the face 

 grizzled gray ; a large saddle-shaped patch on the loins grizzled white. 



