Game Animals of India, etc. 



the spiral apparently never forms more than one and 

 a half turns : it is the typical representative of the 

 species, so that its full title is Capra falconeri typica. 

 It is found on the ranges of Astor and Baltistan ; and 

 on the conjfines of Hazara and Gilgit apparently passes 

 into the Pir Panjal race. Horns from Astor are 

 known respectively measuring 60 and 56 inches along 

 the outside curve. 



Although inhabiting a country where there are 

 considerable patches of forest at a medium elevation, 

 this race of the markhor is stated to resort to these 

 only for the sake of protection from insects in summer, 

 keeping at other times to the open. In winter it 

 descends to comparatively low levels. Markhor are 

 sometimes seen grazing in company with ibex. Mr. 

 Darrah, who shot these animals to the north of the 

 great bend of the Indus above Gilgit, in the Haramosh 

 district, writes as follows of their general habits : — 

 " Markhor do not like snow, and seldom go higher 

 than the snow-line, looking for crags and rocks at that 

 elevation. It is therefore possible sometimes to get 

 above them, but the ground they select is usually so 

 precipitous that nothing can be done, and they are 

 practically as safe as ibex when lying up for the day." 



Although horns of the Pir Panjal race of the markhor 

 {Capra falconeri cashmiriensis\ plate iv, fig. 4, are readily 

 distinguishable from those of typical representatives of 

 the Astor race, there are specimens so nearly inter- 

 mediate between them that it is frequently difficult to 

 decide to which they should be assigned. It is probable 

 that such intermediate examples occur on the confines 

 of the respective habitats of the two races. In typical 

 Pir Panjal heads, such as the one shown in the annexed 

 figure, the horns are less divergent and have a somewhat 

 less open spiral, which forms from one to two complete 

 turns. In size the animal is fully the equal ot its 

 Astor relative, standing from 40 to 41 inches at the 

 shoulder. From the Pir Panjal range which forms the 



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