498 BOVID.E. 



frontal ; fronto-orbital edge sometimes much rounded, the others, 

 as a rule, less so. The two horns arise close together, diverge 

 considerably, and are curved round nearly in a circle, sometimes 

 keeping almost, or even absolutely, in one plane, sometimes wound 

 spirally. The curve very rarely exceeds a circle. Horns of females 

 are short and nearly straight. 



Colour above in summer rufous grey or fawn, in winter light 

 greyish brown ; lower parts, limbs, buttock, and tail whitish or 

 white ; ruff sometimes black throughout, but generally with some 

 white hairs and in old rams white in front, gradually passing into 

 black behind. Muzzle in old animals whitish or white. A patch 

 behind the shoulder black or blackish, sometimes a blackish lateral 

 line and markings outside the limbs. Females and young males are 

 almost uniform greyish brown, paler beneath. 



Dimensions. Height of a male 32 inches, length 48, tail 4. 

 Some Ladak specimens are larger and are said to be 3 feet or 

 more in height. A male Ladak skull measures 9-25 in basal length, 

 and 5-5 in breadth across the orbits. A Punjab skull is about half 

 an inch less in length. Horns measure 24 to 30 inches round the 

 curve, and about 10 in girth at the base, the maximum recorded 

 length and girth being 37'75 and 11'5. 



Distribution very wide. The sha is found in La r lak and Zaskar, 

 and, according to information obtained by Mr. Hume from Mr. 

 Dalgleish, considerably farther east in Northern Tibet, at elevations 

 of 12,000 to 14,000 feet, and it ranges through Astor and Gilgit, 

 where it is known as urin, to Afghanistan. The Astor animal 

 is the typical 0. viynei. The urial, which I now regard as identical, 

 is found in the Punjab Salt Range and in places throughout the 

 ranges west of the Indus in the Punjab and Sind down to the sea- 

 level. To the westward this animal is found throughout Afghan- 

 istan, Baluchistan, and Southern Persia. 



Varieties. Until recently I believed, as Sclater, Blyth, Jerdon, 

 and others did, that the Ladak sha, 0. vignei, was distinct from the 

 Punjab, Sind, and Baluchistan urial, usually known as 0. cycloceros. 

 But an examination of the series of skulls collected by Mr. Hume 

 shows the impossibility of distinguishing the two by the horns. 

 The sha is undoubtedly, on an average, larger, the circle made by 

 the horns is wider, the horns are thicker at the base, and their 

 edges, especially the fronto-orbital, are more rounded as a rule : 

 the ruff, too, is said to be much less developed. According to 

 some MS. notes for which 1 am indebted to Mr. Hume, horns 

 of urial scarcely ever exceed 10 inches in girth at the base, whilst 

 sha horns are sometimes between 11 and 12 in circumference. 

 Judged by this test, as Mr. Hume has pointed out to me, the 

 typical 0. cycloceros of Hut ton is identical with 0. vignei, and 

 the smaller urial, if kept distinct, must bear a different name. 

 But I cannot find any definite distinctive characters ; those of 

 colour noted by Sclater I believe to be merely individual, and some 

 skulls and horns from Ladak appear indistinguishable from Salt 

 Range specimens. 



