174 ^'^"i*-' of Europe, W. & N. Asia & America 



THE ARABIAN TAHR 



i^Honitnigtis jiiyakeri) 

 (Platk III. Fu;. I i) 



The features by which the tahr, or beardless short-horned goats, are 

 distinyuished tVoin the true goats of the genus Cuprci will be tound in the 

 Circdt tiiid Small Cuviic of Lulid^ r/r., as well as in ll'ilil Oxen, Sliccp, iiiid 

 Gouts ; repetition here would accordingly be superfluous. For many 

 years the genus was known, in the living condition, only by the 

 Himalayan and Nilgiri species; but in i H94 iMr. O. Thomas, of the 

 British Museum, described a thirtl representative ot the group, on the 

 evidence of specimens sent from Oman in South-Eastern Arabia by Lieut. - 

 Colonel jayakar, at that time stationed at Muscat. The fauna of South 

 Arabia had been previously regarded as closely related to that ot Alrica 

 south of the Sahara, and it was therefore a matter ot considerable surprise 

 to find in this district a characteristically Imiian genus represented by a 

 species closely allied to the one inhabiting the Himalaya. 



Compared with the Himalayan tahr, the South Arabian species is a 

 much smaller animal, with rather shorter hair, and proportionately longer 

 and more slender horns, which are less boldly knotted on the front keel ; 

 the general colour is tawny brown. 



The type specimens, one of which is mounted and exhibited in the 

 British Museum, were obtained from Jebcl Taw, but it is quite likely that 

 the species may occur on some of the other mountain ranges ot Oman. 

 Nothing is known as to the habits of this animal, which indeed has 

 probably never been seen by luiropeans alive. 



As a matter of fact, very little is known with regard to any of the 



