THE MARKHOOR 841 



r^' 

 also found in many of the ranges of Hazara and Afghanistan, and likewise in the 



neighborhood of Quetta. 



Four distinct varieties of the markhoor are recognized by Mr. Blan- 

 ford, and are characterized as follows: First of all, we have the 

 typical Astor and Baltistan markhoor, in which the horns form a very open spiral, 

 never forming more than one and a half turns. The horns are extremely massive, 

 and attain a great length. Mr. Otho Shaw has specimens measuring forty-nine and 

 fifty-five inches in length along the posterior keel; and it is probable that an ex- 

 ample with a length of sixty-three inches belonged to this variety. Next we have 

 the Pir-Panjal markhoor, of which the horns are represented in the cut on the 

 next page. Here the spiral is less open, and may form from one to two complete 

 turns. This race extends across the Jhelum river into the Kajnag range, and from 

 thence probably into Hazara and Gilgit, where it passes into the third variety. Mr. 

 Shaw has a pair of horns measuring forty-five inches along the curve, and others 

 have been recorded of fifty inches and rather over. In the third or Cabul variety, 

 which is the one represented in our cut on p. 840, the horns are almost straight, 

 but still have a slight spiral, with two complete twists. Specimens have been meas- 

 ured with a length of forty-four inches, but it is said that as much as sixty inches 

 have been recorded, measured along the curve. Lastly, we have the markhoor of 

 the Suliman range, on the eastern frontier of Afghanistan, in which the horns are 

 generally perfectly straight, with the front and back keels wound round in a sharp 

 spiral, which may form from two to three and a half complete turns. In the largest 

 recorded head the length along the hind keel was forty-nine inches. This variety 

 is considerably inferior in size to the other, and has a smaller beard. 



The different varieties of the markhoor exhibit some diversity in 

 their habits, owing to the varying tiature of their native districts; 

 General Kinloch remarking that while the open-horned varieties inhabit lofty pine- 

 clad ranges, whose summits are generally wreathed in snow, the straight- horned 

 Suliman race has its home among barren and rocky hills of trifling elevation, 

 where the heat during the summer months is frequently intense. 



Like other goats, markhoor go in small flocks, the males generally keeping apart 

 from the females. General Kinloch remarks of the male that "his flowing black 

 beard, and long shaggy mane, falling from his neck and shoulders to his knees, give 

 him a most imposing appearance; and as he stands to gaze on some jutting rock on 

 the face of a rugged precipice, overhung by dark pine trees, no sportsman nor lover 

 of nature can fail to be struck with admiration at his noble bearing. He is power- 

 fully and compactly made, and, in spite of his weight, he has perhaps no equal 

 in traversing difficult and dangerous ground. I know of no animal whose pursuit 

 habitually entails so much difficult climbing, and to be successful one must occasion- 

 ally venture into places where no less inducement would tempt one to run the risk. 

 Old male markhoor are extremely difficult to find, especially where they have been 

 frequently disturbed. Unlike the ibex, which keeps to the rugged crags and steep 

 ravines above the limits of the forest, the markhoor delights in rocky forests, 

 and although it occasionally comes out into the open glades, it seeks concealment 

 as much as possible. ' ' 



