THE SHEEP AND GOATS 



199 



The Barbary Sheep, Aoudad, 

 OR Arui 

 This is a large wild sheep of 



the North African highlands. The 



old rams have a very fine appearance, 



with a long flowing beard or mane, 



and large horns. These wild sheep, 



though somewhat goat-like in appear- 

 ance, are typical of their race in 



general habits. They live in the 



.Atlas Range, and in the splendid 



heights df the Aures Mountains, which 



lie at the back of Algeria and fringe 



the great Sahara Desert. In the 



isolated and burning rucks which jut 



up in the desert itself into single 



mountains they are also found, living 



on ground which seems absolutely 



destitute of water, grass, or vegetation. 



They live singly or in small families; 



but the rams keep mainly alone. 



Sometimes the}- lie in shallow caves 



during the heat of the day. These 



caves smell like a sheep-fold. More 



generally the sheep repose on some 



shelf of rock, where they exactly 



match the colour of the stone, and 



are invisible. The ground is among 



the most difficult in which any hunt- 

 ing is attempted, except perhaps in 



chamois stalking; but the pursuit seems to fascinate sportsmen. Mr. A. E. Pease recently 



gave some charming descrip- 

 tions of the silence, the rugged 

 rocks, and the astonishing 

 views over the great orange 

 Sahara Desert seen from the 

 tops of these haunts of the 

 1 larbary sheep — mountains on 

 the summits of which his Arab 

 guides would prostrate them- 

 selves in evening prayer as 

 the sun sank over the desert, 

 and then, rising, once more 

 resume the chase. The young 

 lambs of the Barbary sheep 

 are charming little creatures, 

 more like reddish kids. They 

 can follow the mother over the 

 steepest ground at a great 



Phtn by L. Midland, F.7..S.' ISirth FinchUy pace. WllCIl Caught, as they 



FAT-TAILED SHEEP sometimes are by the Arabs, 



The fat tail of ibis sbeep -was considered by Charles Dar-a/in as due to degenctathr. they SOOI1 become tame. The 



Woro by J.T. Niwm.in] [B.riham :. i 



PUNJAB SHEEP 



This is an example of one of the breeds 10 hie h carry no tvoo. whatever 



