WILD SHEEP AND GOATS 227 



distance of him, and must have been aware of his presence the 

 whole time he was in the vicinity. In this habit the Barbary Sheep 

 resembles, states the same observer, the Pyrenean Ibex, which 

 inhabits similar ground, and also trusts to concealment in preference 

 to flight. 



BURRHEL WILD SHEEP.— The Burrhel, Bharal, or Blue Sheep 

 (Fig. 180) is an inhabitant of Tibet and those parts of the Hima- 

 layas bordering thereon. It is an interesting species and well worthy 

 of inclusion here because, in a way, it is a sort of connecting-link 

 between the Sheep and the Goats. Structurally it certainly is as 

 much a Sheep as a Goat, but owing to the absence of a beard and 

 the odour given off by the ram, it is best for it to occupy a place 

 among the Sheep, and any one possessing a knowledge of this 

 animal would not hesitate to accord it a position among the Wild 

 Sheep. In general appearance it is most certainly like a Sheep and 

 not a Goat, but, in spite of this, we are told that "it exhibits a 

 marked difference from other species of the same general size in 

 refusing to breed with domestic Sheep; and its relationship to the 

 Goats is so strong that, were it not for convenience, there are 

 considerable grounds for including both Sheep and Goats in a single 

 genus." 



It is in regard to the horns and skull that this animal resembles 

 the Goat, the first-named being less spiral than those possessed by 

 the more typical Sheep. These appendages are almost smooth and 

 reach a length of two feet or more in the male, those of the ewe 

 being short and curving upwards and outwards. 



The smooth, compact fur is very distinctive, being brownish- 

 grey on the upper parts in Summer, and stone-grey in Winter, with 

 white underneath. The ram has a prominent black band on the 

 sides of the body and down the front of the legs, and the same 

 colour on the front of the face and chest and on the greater part of 

 the tail. The ewe lacks the black markings on the face, chest and 

 flanks. The last-named is a smaller beast than her mate, the ram 

 standing about three feet high at the withers. 



The Bharal inhabits craggy districts where the ground is undulat- 

 ing, and, like the Goat, it is a fine climber, picking its way over 

 precipitous cliffs with consummate skill and ease. It is gregarious 

 in its habits, herding together in companies of from a few to as 

 many as a hundred individuals, and occupying high-lying situations 

 often out of reach and secure from the hunter. The colour of the 



Q 2 



