ARGALI. 981 



winter the face, and particularly the pait about the 

 ti|. ;>f tin- nose, heroines more white, the back of 

 a n: uginous cast, and the hair, which in 



summer is close, like that of a deer, becomes 

 somen-hat rough, wavy, and a little curled; con- 

 sistiri;- -' ;i kind of M ool intci mixed \\ ith liair, 

 nnd coi;< idling at its roots a fine white woolly 

 down . ihc hair about the neck and shoulders, as 

 well as under the throat, is considerably longer 

 tli. in on other parts. The female is inferior in 

 si/e to Hie male, and has smaller and less curved 

 horns. 



In Sib< ri.i the Alkali is chiefly seen on the tops 

 of the highest mountains exposed to the sun, and 

 free from woods. The animals generally go in 

 small flocks: they produce their young in the 

 middle of March, and have one, and sometimes 

 two, at a birth. The young, when first born, are 

 red with a soft, grey, curling fleece, which 

 gradually changes into hair towards the end of 

 summer. 



From spring to autumn the Argalis teed in tl 



little \ allies among the up| ions of the 



mountain^, on the young shoots of tbc Alpine 



plants, and are .-.aid to grow very fat. As winter 



approaches, they descend lower and eat grass and 



.hies. They are fond of frequenting 



of a saline nature, and will excavate the 



iii (I in such places, in order to get at the salt. 



The horns of the old males grow to a vast size, 

 and have been found of the length of two Russian 

 yards, measured along the spires ; weighing fif- 



