HIMALAYAN TAHR 353 



Head of Himalayan Tahr. 



HIMALAYAN TAHR (Hemitragus jemlaicus). 



The three species of tahr are the first representatives of that great 

 group of ruminants which includes the true goats and sheep. In all 

 these animals horns are, as a rule, present in both sexes, and are 

 generally more or less distinctly angulated ; while the cheek-teeth 

 have tall and narrow crowns like those of the serows, which the tahr 

 serve to connect with the true goats. From the latter tahr are readily 

 distinguished by the small size of their horns, which exceed but little 

 in length the head, as well as by the absence of a beard on the chin of 

 the males. The Himalayan tahr is easily recognised by the great 

 length of the hair of the body, which, although in museum specimens 

 generally combed straight, is very shaggy in nature ; and likewise by 

 the form of the horns, which have a knotted sharp keel in front Height 

 at shoulder from 36 to 40 inches ; weight about 200 Ibs. Mr. Wilson, 

 "Mountaineer," had a pair of horns with a length of \6\ and girth 

 i clinches, as measured by Mr. A. O. Hume. 



Distribution. The Himalaya, from Bhutan to Kashmir. 



2 A 



