572 DZUNGARIA 



that any slight variations are merely due to age and 

 seasonal changes. 



I venture to suggest that if, at the next big-game 

 trophy exliil)ilion that is held in England, every one who 

 possesses sheep-heads from the Tian Shan and adjacent 

 ranges, would make an effort to lend them, they could 

 be groui)ed together and their respective characteristics 

 clearly shown. 



I cannot, here, go as deeply as I should like into 

 the interesting but complex question of the wild-sheep of 

 Central Asia, but, having just touched upon the subject, 

 I must now return to the narrative. 



While riding along disconsolately, early in the after- 

 noon, still smarting under our defeat of the morning, 

 we came upon a pair of sixty-inch horns lying in a shel- 

 tered hollow which was a perfect " Golgotha," where the 

 remains of dozens of mighty rams strewed the ground. 

 As this pair of horns was in almost perfect condition, I 

 decided to keep it. Soon afterwards, while continuing 

 our careless way towards camp, our attention was directed 

 sinmltaneously to a movement far up on the shale of the 

 divide. 



There was no mistaking those graceful, sweeping 

 liorns, which looked many sizes too big for their owner. 

 It was our old friend of the morning, with his companions. 

 Though knowing full well that they were in an unapproach- 

 able position, the temptation to make one more effort to 

 secure that coveted trophy was irresistible. Telling my 

 companion to throw away the picked-up head, so as to 

 quicken our progress, we made a rapid detour, in the 

 hope of getting round and above them. 



When our panting, steaming ponies had carried us 

 as far as it was advisable to take theui, 1 dismounted 



