White. — On Coloured SJiecp. 209 



adventures. Tlie bighorn, or Eocky Mountain slieep, of North 

 America, the musk-ox and the yak of Thibet — these two, in- 

 habiting districts right apart, but hving close to the regions of 

 perpetual snows, seem connecting-links between the ox and 

 sheep. 



In Scrihncrs Magazine of February, 1889, is a picture, said 

 to be taken from ari instantaneous photograph, of the bighorn 

 in their native wilds. In this photograph of a ram and two 

 ewes the ram has a wonderful resemblance to a picture in an 

 illustrated paper of a live specimen of the burrell presented 

 to the Prince of Wales when visiting India some years ago. 

 " The bighorn is in colour a dusky-brown, too nearly resem- 

 bling that of the rocks through which they move to secure 

 clearness of outline in a picture taken at a longdistance." 

 Unfortunately the tails of all three figures are hidden from 

 view. The ears are broad and rounded at the tip, somewhat 

 resembling those of a calf. The horns of the ram are very 

 thick at the base, inclined slightly outward and backward, 

 with one gradual curve only. The ewes have small upright 

 horns, with the tips slightly turned backward, much the same 

 as those seen in the chamois. The ibex and chamois are by 

 many considered the originals of our domestic goats, or a 

 link between the goat and the deer. Here would come a 

 question whether they shed their horns annually, as do the 

 true deer, or retain them for life. 



Of domestic sheep the Wallachian is worthy of remark. It 

 has a pair of upright spiral horns of considerable length, which, 

 when viewed in a direct line, give the animal a great resem- 

 blance to the fabulous unicorn. Like the Cashmir goat, this 

 sLetjp is covered with long, straight hair, having an undercoat 

 of extremely fine wool. This latter is greatly valued. 



Here is a lady's description of sheep used in packing goods 

 in the Himalayan mountains, in India, an extract from Cham- 

 bers's Journal, 2nd November, 1889 : " A long string of sheep 

 passes us on their way to the plains, each with its little pack 

 on its back. They have come all the way from Bhotan, across 

 the highest passes of the Himalayas. They carry down borax 

 and salt, and take rice and other grain on the return journey, 

 being altogether about three months on the road." Perhaps 

 if they grow any wool they will leave that behind also. 



This extract from "The Mule-track on the Mountains" 

 gives a good sample of word-painting: "But it is not only 

 still life on my mule-path. Suddenly, perhaps, round a turn 

 in the road, a little flock of sheep comes hurrying dovvu. Thev 

 are very small gentle creatures, with long soft hair (it can 

 hardly be called wool), dark-brown or cream-white. Their 

 wild-looking shepherd, with his dark Italian face, has a word 

 of greeting for the stranger as he passes by. One day one of 

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