SPORT ON THE PLATEAUX 339 



to roll up from the north-west, and I realized that, if 

 that head was to be mine, matters must be brought to 

 a speedy conclusion. Another long detour brought 

 us above him again, and, after another uncomfortable 

 downhill slither, the tops of his horns appeared not fifty 

 yards off. The recognition was mutual ; but, before he 

 could do more than jump to his feet, a copper-capped 

 bullet pierced his shoulder and he went sliding down 

 the steep face of the hill. He carried a marvellous 

 head, even finer than I had hoped. The horns were 

 61J in. in length, 20J in girth at the base, and had a 

 spread of 37J in. He stood 53 in. at the shoulder, and 

 his age was estimated at fifteen years. 



In autumn coat the coloration of an old amnion 

 ram is very striking. The nose is white, forehead and 

 cheeks grey-brown, neck and upper part of the body 

 dark chocolate, freely sprinkled with white hairs, which 

 slightly predominate on the shoulders and along the 

 back ; this gives them a very grizzled appearance. 

 The belly and rump-patch are white, legs grey-mottled 

 above and white below the knees. In full winter coat 

 an ammon ram is of a dirty-white colour on the body 

 and neck, and pure white on the nose, legs, and rump. 

 The ammon differs from nearly all other large Central 

 Asian sheep in that he does not grow a long neck-ruff. 

 In summer the coat is exceedingly short, but in winter 

 it lengthens all over the body and neck to about two 

 inches. 



The two men were delighted with our success, and 

 chatted incessantly as they phed their knives — not, I 

 fear, because I had got what I wanted, but with thoughts 

 of the meat orgy that was to follow. While keeping 

 an eye on them, to see that they cut a good long head- 



