602 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



the former occurrence of some form of the Barbary Sheep in Pales- 

 tine ; this would be either ornata or some undescribed subspecies. 



Egypt. Heuglin (1861, p. 16) reports the Arui at least as far 

 south as latitude 24 N. 



The only locality that Schweinfurth knew for this animal in 1893 

 was the Wadi El Gos, east of Minieh. There are also records from 

 Sarras (on the Nile, about lat. 21 40' N.) and from near the Wadi 

 Medisa (about lat. 27 N., long. 33 10' E.). (De Winton, in Ander- 

 son and de Winton, 1902, p. 335.) 



Flower (1932, p. 435) gives the following account: 



More than one form occurs in Nubia, the ornata once to be found within 

 a day's ride of Cairo has vanished, and the affinities of the sheep from southern 

 Upper Egypt have yet to be determined. . . . 



Between 1900 and 1909 Arui Wild Sheep were reported to have been seen on 

 both sides of the Nile in Upper Egypt, but they were very much rarer than 

 the Ibex, which occurred east of the Nile only. By 1910 the sheep had become 

 really scarce. From 1912 onwards various projects for their protection were 

 under consideration, but, for many reasons, the subject was a very difficult one. 



Capt. G. W. Murray, M. C., of the Survey of Egypt, writing to me, 3 April, 

 1920, of the country between the Nile and the Red Sea in Upper Egypt, said: 



"1. A pair of wild sheep existed for a long time at Bir Abu Shaar (about 

 33 40' E. by 27 20' N.) two heads offered to me for sale at Jemsa in 1910 

 probably represented the end of them. 



"2. The Arabs of Dr. Hume's party saw tracks and droppings at Bir Laseifa 

 (about 32 30' E. by 26 50' N.) in 1912. 



"3. Nimr eff. Ali, of the Coast Guard, now the Frontier District Adminis- 

 tration, shot and killed one near Wadi Tarfa (about 31 50' E. by 28 20' N.) 

 some years ago. On my recent trip the Maaza Arabs declared that several 

 still existed near Wadi Tarfa. 



"4. I saw fresh tracks and droppings which my guide declared to be wild 

 sheep and they were certainly not ibex at near Gebel Aradia (about 33 

 30' E. by 26 20' N.) in March 1920." 



"Barbary Sheep might be obtained in the isolated gebels to the 

 north of the Port Sudan-Khartoum railway, but of this the writer 

 has no experience. They are not found south of the railway and 

 do not belong to the mountain area." (Maydon, 1932, p. 194.) 



"H. M. the King of Egypt . . . has given orders for ... areas 

 to be dedicated as sanctuaries for the few Barbary sheep that are 

 still to be found in the Assiuti wadi 200 miles south of Rishrash" 

 (Russell, 1934, p. 18). 



'"I managed to get local Arretes passed by all Upper Egypt 

 provinces making it illegal to kill ibex and Barbary sheep in the 

 Eastern desert i. e. between the Nile and the Red Sea. 



"The sheep were on the verge of extinction a few years ago owing 

 to lack of rain (i. e. grazing) and hunting. 



"The sheep area is not a big one, being about 100 miles in 

 length from North to South with an average width of about 80 

 miles: outside this area sheep do not exist at all. Twenty five 



