THE SHEEP AND GOATS 



223 



BARBARY SHEEP 



These fine ivild sheep are found in the Atlai and Aures Mountains of North Africa 



The TIBETAN ARGALI is a little 



smaller in size, and has slightly 



smaller horns. The rams have also 



a large white ruff on the throat. 



These sheep descend in winter to the 



lower valleys of the Tibetan plateau, 



returning to the higher ground in 



spring. The lambs are born in May 



or June. 



LITTLEDALE'S SHEEP is a 



smaller animal, found on the Sair 



Mountains in the Great Altai, on the 



northwestern border of Mongolia. It 



is darker in colour than the argali or 



Marco Polo's sheep, and has dark 



under-parts. 



Writing of the argali of Southern 



Siberia, the naturalist Brehm says 



that when the Tartars want mutton 



an argali hunt is organised. The 



Tartar hunters advance on their horses 



at intervals of 200 or 300 yards, and 



when the sheep are started generally 



manage, by riding, shooting, coursing them with dogs, and shouting, to bewilder, shoot, or 



capture several. 



On the high plateau of the Pamirs and the adjacent districts MARCO POLO'S SHEEP is 



found. The rams are only slightly less in size than the Siberian argali ; the hair is longer than 



in that species, and the horns are thinner and more slender and extend farther in an outward 



direction. An adult ram may weigh 300 Ibs. The first description of this sheep was given 



by the old traveller whose name it now bears. He said that on the Pamir plateau wild 



animals are met with in large numbers, 

 particularly a sheep of great size, 

 having horns three, four, and even 

 six palms in length. The shepherds 

 ( ? hunters) form ladles and vessels 

 from them. In the Pamirs, Marco 

 Polo's sheep is seldom found at less 

 than ii,oooor 12,000 feet above the 

 sea. In the Thian-shan Mountains 

 it is said to descend to 2,000 or 

 3,000 feet. They prefer the hilly, 

 grassy plains, and only seek the hills 

 for safety. On the Pamirs they are 

 said to be very numerous in places, 

 one hunter stating that he saw in 

 one day not less than 600 head. 



THE BIGHORN SHEEP OF AMERICA 



AND KAMCHATKA 

 North America has its parallel 

 to the argalis in the famous BIGHORN. 

 It is now very rare even in Northern 



BARBARY SHEEP 

 This shows a fine ram t -with a mane reaching almost to its hoof? 



