494 BOTID^E. 



latter including the parietal region, meeting at about a right angle. 

 Occipital plane very flat. Horns in both sexes, very large in males, 

 much smaller in females ; in the former thick, sometimes very 

 thick at the base, tapering regularly, and forming a circular or 

 spiral curve at the side of the head (0. nahura is an exception). 

 Vertebr : C. 7, D. 13, L. 6, S. 4, C. 10-14. 



Wild sheep are found in the Palaearctic and Nearctic regions, one 

 species ranging into Sind and the Punjab. The structural differ- 

 ences from the genus Copra, comprising the true goats, are very 

 small, and one species, O. nahura, is absolutely intermediate. Both 

 inhabit mountains and high plateaus, but the sheep keep more to 

 open undulating ground, the goat to crags and precipices. The 

 flesh of all wild sheep is excellent, the males never having the rank 

 odour that is characteristic of goats. 



The period of gestation in different breeds of European tame 

 sheep varies from 144 to 150 days, but, according to Hodgson, in 

 several Himalayan and Tibetan breeds the period is 160 (J. A. 

 S. B. xvi, pp. 1010 &c.). The origin of tame sheep is quite un- 

 known. 



Synopsis of Indian Species. 



A. Normal ; suborbital glands present, horns with 



a circular or spiral curve. 



a. Verv large ; adults exceeding 42 inches in 



height at shoulder. 



a'. Horns in male never exceed one circle . . O. hodgsoni, p. 494. 

 b . Horns in male considerably exceed a circle. O. poll, p. 496. 



b. Size moderate ; adults not exceeding 36 inches 



in height O. vignei, p. 497. 



B. Abnormal ; no suborbital glands, curve of horns 



S-shaped O. nahura, p. 499. 



343. Ovis hodgsoni. The great Tibetan Sheep. 



Ovisnayaur, Hodgson, As. Res. xviii, pt. 2, p. 135 (1833), partim. 

 Ovis hodgsoni, Blyth, P. Z. S. 1840, p. 65 ; id. A. M. N. H. vii, 

 p. 199 (1841) ; Sclater, P. Z. S. 1860, p. 129; V. 8f B. Brooke, 

 P. Z. S. 1875, p. 520 ; W. Sclater, Cat. p. 136. 

 Ovis ammonoides, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. x, p. 230, pi. i, fig. 1 (1841) ; 



xv, p. 338, with 3 plates ; Hutton, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 568. 

 Ovis ammon, Horsfield, Cat. p. 176 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 177 ; Blanford, 



J. A. S. B. xli, p. 40, nee Capra ammon, L. 



Caprovis argali, Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 527, nee Ovis argali, Pallas. 



Nyan 3 , Nyanmo $ , Ladak ; Nyang, Nyand, Hyan, Tibetan. 



Hair short, coarse, and very close. Ears short. Tail very short. 



In adult males the hair on the sides and lower surface of the neck 



is lengthened into a white ruff, and there is a dark crest of hair, 



not so long as the ruff, along the back of the neck to the withers. 



Horns in male very massive, coarsely wrinkled transversely, 



subtriangular in section, but with the edges, especially the frouto- 



orbital, much rounded, the orbital and nuchal surfaces very much 



broader than the frontal. The curve is a spiral, the two horns 



