208 Dr. N. Severtzoff on the Mammals of Turkestan. 



XIX. — The Mammals of Turkestan. 

 By Dr. N. Severtzoff. 



[Coutinued from p. 174.] 



The genus Ovis^ even in the restricted sense here adopted, 

 may be divided into two groups — namely, the northern and the 

 southern. The horns of the northern group in proportion to 

 their thickness are shorter than those of the other group, and 

 are thicker in comparison with the size of the animal ; and con- 

 sequently this group-form has a more massive head and a 

 wider skull. The horns of very old specimens are twice and 

 a half to three times as long as the skull, measuring the latter 

 from the root of the fronto-nuchal edge of the horn down to 

 the free extremities of the prajmaxillae. In the southern group 

 the head is proportionally smaller and the horns are more 

 elongated ; their length is at least three times and even more 

 than four times as great as that of the skull, measured in 

 the same way as before. 



The following species belong to the northern group : — 



1. Ovis nivicola (Eschsch. ?). 



From Kaintschatka. This species is justly identified with 

 0. montana^ GeofFr., from North America. The horns begin 

 to get narrower from the base, so that each horn diminishes 

 regularly from the root down to the end ; the frontal and 

 nuchal surfaces are convex, the fronto-nuchal and nuchal edges 

 of the horns are rounded; the orbital edge is only partly rounded, 

 and if looked at from the side it forms a sharp edge, which is 

 separated from the convex portion above the eye by an elon- 

 gated groove. The length of the horns (which are very thick) 

 is twice, at the most twice and a half, as great as that of the 

 skull. The frontal surface of the horns is wider than the 

 nuchal surface ; the cross ridges of the same are very indistinct. 



The head is large and massive ; the profile of the nose is 

 straight^ not convex. There is no mane on the neck. The 

 general colour is greyish brown, with a dark line along the 

 back ; the belly, the inner sides of the legs, the posterior 

 portion of the haunches, the patch round the tail, the lower 

 part of the chin, and a spot on the throat are white ; the front 

 part of the legs is blackish brown, darker than the line which 

 runs all along the vertebral column. 



Length to the root of the tail 5^ feet, height at the shoulders 

 3^ feet ; length of the horns sometimes up to 2 1 feet. 



Very close to Oin's nivicola comes another, not yet quite 



