Irtish Ibex 171 



pale brownish white, gradually passing into the creamy white colour ot the 

 hind-quarters. 



"■ Horns very massive and strongly curved. The circumterence at the 

 base in proportion to the length much greater than in the three other 

 known subspecies of C. sihirica. The knobs in tront ot the horns are 

 wider apart, narrower, and not so prominent as in C. s. sacin, with which I 

 have compared it. From the description in Mr. Lydekker's book this 

 would always seem to be the case in comparison with typical (.'. sihinca. 



" A younger male appears to have the white saddle less extended, the 

 general colour of the head and body darker brown, and the hair of the legs 

 longer with a more reddish tinge, while the white patch on the nape is 

 very large and of a purer white than in the older male. The female is 

 paler brown all over, with less distinct markings. 



"The principal differences between this and the other three races of 

 C. sihirica appear to be the much larger size and bulk of the animal, the 

 heavy beam of the horns, the large white nape-patch and coloration of the 

 legs, which seems to be intermediate between that of C. sihirica and that 

 of C. s. sacin. In the former the legs are brown in front and white 

 behind for their whole length, while in the latter they are entirely brown. 

 In this new form, however, the legs of the oldest male are quite brown on 

 the lower half, as in C. s. sacin, while on their upper half they are white 

 behind as in C sihirica. 



" Length of horns over curve in the oldest male 46^ inches, in the 

 younger male 38I- inches ; circumference of horns at base in the oldest 

 male I2| inches." 



In this description the typical race of the Asiatic ibex is termed Capra 

 sihirica sihirica, instead of C. sihirica typica, the term preferred by the 

 present writer. Other specimens of C. s. lydekkeri have been obtained 

 from the Irtish Valley, among them a male of which the skin and horns 

 are now in the British Museum. 



