6 Game of Europe, W. & N. Asia & America 



a right spiral and the left horn a left spiral ; the reverse of this arrange- 

 ment attaining in nearly all the goats. 



As the bighorns and their habits are very fully described in the work 

 mentioned above, only their leading characters will be alluded to in this 

 place. 



They are large sheep, standing from 3 feet 2 inches to 3 feet 6 inches in 

 height at the shoulder, and are best characterised by the minute size of the 

 tace-glands (together with the depressions in the skull in which they are 

 situated) and the comparative smoothness of the horns. In full-grown 

 rams these latter are strongly angulated, but show much less distinct 

 transverse wrinkles than those of most other wild sheep. Instead of these 

 transverse wrinkles forming the most prominent sculpture on the surface of 

 the horns, the fine longitudinal groovings are the most conspicuous marks. 

 The close spiral formed by the horns may include a little more than one 

 complete circle, and is often less. Very characteristic of bighorn horns is 

 the prominence and sharpness of the outer front angle, and the partial 

 rounding of the inner one. 



Inclusive of all their modifications, bighorns vary in colour from 

 pure white or pale tawny to dark greyish brown ; the lighter varieties 

 (exclusive of the pure white one) showing a dark streak along the middle 

 line of the back, and the darker-tinted phases exhibiting a light rump- 

 patch, divided by a dark streak connecting the brown or fawn of the upper 

 surface of the tail with that of the back. Except in the wholly white phase, 

 the Hanks and the front surface of the limbs are darker than the back, but 

 a considerable extent of the lower surface of the body, as well as more or 

 less of the hinder aspect and some portion of the inner sides of the legs, 

 are white. In all the darker phases of the species the outer surface of 

 the thigh is coloured like the thigh. 



The typical Rocky Mountain race of the bighorn is best characterised 

 by its large size, long and narrow skull, and the massive horns of the old 



