178 MAMMALIA. 



the base triangular, angles rounded, flattened in front, and striated 

 transversely; those of the female are compressed and falciform. In 

 summer the hair is short, and of a fawn-coloured grey ; in winter it 

 is thick, rigid, and of a reddish-grey, with some white about the 

 muzzle, throat, and under the belly. There is always, as in the stag, 

 a yellow space about the tail, which is very short. This animal in- 

 habits the mountains of all Asia, and attains to the size of the fallow 

 deer. 



Ov. mtisimon, Pall.; Mufione of Sardinia; MuffoU de Corse; 

 Buff. XI. pi. xxix; Schreb. CCLXXXVIII. A. (The Mouflon or 

 Mufion of Sardinia). Appears to differ from it only in its inferior 

 size, and in the deficiency or smallness of the horns in the female. 

 It is said to be also found in Crete. There are some varieties to- 

 tally or partially black, and others more or less white. It is pro- 

 bable that the 



Ov. montana, Geoff., Ann. Mus. II. pi. Ix; Schr. CCXCIV. D. 

 (Tlie IVIouflon of America) is a species of Argali, which may have 

 crossed the sea on the ice. Its horns are very stout, and are more 

 perfectly spiral than those of the common species.* 



Ov. tragelaphus, Cuv. ; Penn. XII; Shaw, pi. ccii, 2; Schr. 

 CCLXXXVIII. B. (The Mouflon of Africa). Soft and reddish 

 hair, with a long mane hanging under the neck and another at each 

 ' ankle ; the tail is short ; it appears to be a distinct species. It in- 

 habits the rocky districts of all Barbary; and M. Geoffrey has ob- 

 served it in Egypt. 



It is from the Mouflon or the Argali that we are supposed to de- 

 rive the innumerable races of our woolly animals, which, next to the 

 dog, are most subject to vary. We have some of them in Europe 

 with common and fine wool ; large and small ; with large or little 

 horns, wanting in the females, or in both sexes, &c. &c. The most 

 interesting varieties are those of Spain {a), which have a fine curly 

 fleece, with large spiral horns on the male, now beginning to be dif- 

 fused throughout Europe, and that of England, whose wool is fine 

 and long. 



The most common variety in southern Russia has a very long tail. 



* This is identical with the Ods ammori, L. 



^^ (a) The principal of these is the Merino breed, which, up to 1786, were pecu- 

 liar to Spain. In that year a flock was brought into France, and was placed on the 

 national farm of Rambouillet, where they still remain. George the Third adopted 

 the plan, after the example of France, of importing Merino sheep, and presenting 

 them to private agrtcultuvists. In 1792, Lord Auckland, our ambassador at Spain, 

 obtained, by order of his Majesty, forty of the best Spauisli sheep, in exchange for 

 eight English coach horses; they were placed in Oatlands, and superintended by Sir 

 Joseph Banks. But the results of this and similar experiments, so far as England is 

 concerned, must be regarded as failures: in this country the wool was always coarser 

 on the Merino than the article which came from Spain, whereas, the wool of the 

 Merino imported into Germany was the finest and best of all. The wool from our 

 colonies of New South Wales bids fair to be the most superior that has hitherto been 

 employed in England. — Eng. Ed. 



