158 SIR VICTOR BROOKE CHAP. 



the result of three visits one made by myself, and 

 three by my brother during which we have watched 

 and shot moufflon of every age and size, and, in the 

 case of my brother, at almost every season of the year. 

 In the article I am alluding to it is stated that, " whilst 

 the ewes of the Sardinian moufflon are horned, the rams 

 are coloured nearly like the ewes of their own and 

 other races." In the part of Sardinia to which my 

 remarks refer the ewes are invariably hornless. 

 Neither my brother nor the goatherds whom we 

 consulted upon this point and who, from living with 

 their flocks at one season of the year entirely amongst 

 the moufflon rocks, know more of their ways and habits 

 than any one in the island ever saw a female moufflon 

 with any sign of horns. 



In colour the rams and the ewes differ immensely ; 

 and in his winter dress nothing can exceed the beauty of 

 the former. I shall never forget the first I saw, and, as 

 it in some degree illustrates the strength and distinct- 

 ness of the markings, perhaps I may venture to describe 

 the occasion. It was in the November of 1869. The 

 moufflon at this time of the year are in the habit of 

 leaving their usual rocky fastnesses for four or five 

 weeks, and, descending into the valleys and lower hills, 

 live upon acorns amongst the great woods of vastly 

 aged cork and ilex trees that clothe the valleys and 

 bases of their favourite crag-topped mountains for 

 miles and miles. Finding it exceedingly hard to come 

 upon the moufflon by fair stalking whilst they were 

 down in the woods, we found the best plan for getting 

 at them was to send an old Italian chasseur (who with 

 his two hounds had accompanied us from Italy) to 

 draw the woods and gorges at the earliest dawn of 

 morning, whilst we, leaving our camp in the woods an 

 hour or two before light, used to make for a couple of 



