Tibetan Argali, or Hodgson's Sheep 



angulated, the horns are much more massive than those 

 oi poli^ as well as considerably shorter. 



In the Tibetan, or Hodgson's, argali the height at 

 the shoulder ranges from about 3|- feet to 3 feet 10 

 inches. The horns of the rams are less massive than 

 in the typical race, and form a less open spiral, which 

 does not exceed, and often falls short of, a complete 

 circle. In nearly all instances their tips are broken, the 

 wrinkles are but moderately prominent, and the outer 

 front angle is, even in adult examples, frequently 

 distinct. Adult rams have a ruff of long whitish hair 

 on the sides of the neck and the throat, believed to be 

 present at all seasons ; and there is a crest of dark hair 

 running from the nape of the neck to the withers. In 

 the ewes there is a shorter ruff of dark hair on the 

 throat. 



Apart from the throat-ruff, the colour is very similar 

 to that of the typical race, but old rams seem to be 

 darker. Greyish brown is the general colour of the 

 upper-parts, the throat, chest, under-parts, and inner 

 side of the limbs being white or whitish. The whole 

 of the upper portion of the face is brown, at least in the 

 winter dress, but the lower part is generally somewhat 

 lighter. There is also a dark streak down the front of 

 the legs below the knees and hocks in the winter dress ; 

 but whether in summer these parts become lighter is 

 not ascertained, specimens in the short summer coat 

 being lacking. 



In a ram killed by Major Greenway the length from 

 the nose to the tip of the tail was 76 inches, and the 

 weight about 212 lbs. In one shot by Major Powell- 

 Cotton, of which the age was estimated at ten years, the 

 shoulder-height was 3 feet 9 inches, the girth 4 feet 2 

 inches, and the weight 205 lbs. The largest pair of 

 horns on record, obtained by Mr. Arnold Pike in 

 Ladak, measures 57 inches along the front curve, and 

 has a girth of 1 8f inches, and a tip-to-tip interval of 

 29 inches. The four next largest specimens recorded 



97 H 



