Game Animals of India, etc. 



species ; the essential idea of races being that they should 

 intergrade with one another, although in many instances 

 the connecting links have died out. It may be added 

 that information is still required with regard to the 

 Chilas markhor. The habitat of the Cabul markhor 

 includes the Trans-Indus mountains in the neighbour- 

 hood of Cabul, and perhaps some of those farther to 

 the southward : thus forming the north-westerly limits 

 of the geographical range of the species. The longest 

 horns assigned to the present race are a pair from 

 Chitral which measure ^6 inches along the spiral. 



Mr. Hume has written as follows in reference to 

 this race: — "The Cabul horns are rare, but every 

 specimen which I have been able to localise accurately 

 belonged to this type. Hutton's figure of his Cabul 

 specimen shows that it belonged to this type. Vigne's 

 vignette, in his personal narrative, of the specimen killed 

 for him in the Lughman Hills by Akhbar Khan shows 

 that this too belonged to this type. Two specimens 

 sent to me from Cabul (fig. 20) are of the same type, 

 and so too was the one huge horn which Hutton had 

 in his possession in 1852, and of which I noted the 

 length at 50 inches. In reference to this he said, 

 * They say in Cabul that if you stand a good pair on 

 the tips a big man can pass through them on hands and 

 knees,' which must refer to horns at least 4 feet 

 straight measurement. This race extends throughout 

 the northern portions of Afghanistan which lie adjacent 

 to Cabul — how much farther it extends in any direction 

 is uncertain." 



The markhor [Capra falconeri jerdoni) of the Sule- 

 man range, on the eastern frontier of Afghanistan, has 

 been aptly designated the straight- horned race ; the 

 horns of the bucks, which never attain the dimensions 

 of those of the Astor race, forming a perfectly straight 

 cone (plate iv, figs. 5, 5^), upon which the front 

 and back keels are wound in a sharp spiral, like the 

 threads of a double-threaded screw. In fine examples, 



. 130 



