ON I' 111': I MM ol' Till". DESERT 123 



On till' ;ii-i(l siilc of the I'ano-es wliidi imincdiatelv 

 ovei'look I he desert, tliore exists, the wliole way from 

 the Atlantic to Tunis, a certain wild "' Uarbary sheep," 

 called l»v naturalists the Orts t lUKjila pi, us or i Ik; 

 Aoiiildil, Ii\- Arahs ili(^, Arom. and lt\' llic I'Vcnrli ilic 

 Monjlon a iH'.dichcUc. from [\iv l<»ng pendcnl mane, if that 

 be the correct term, wliidi the animal carries on the under 

 side of its neck and shoulders d(»\vn to the knees. Jl is a 

 large sheep, scarcely inferior to the " big-hoiii "' of the 

 IJockies. Mild of a dull rufous-xcl low colour, well calculated 

 for concealment on the red and vellow cliffs which it 

 inhabits. Thouii'h not extreme]}' rare, it is, for reasons 

 which will sul)sci|ueiit 1\' a])|>e;ii'. except ionalh' dillicull to 

 lind. True, the kids ai'e oceasionallv cauiiht l)Vthe Arabs, 

 and. as the nro"/ breeds freelv in eonfinement. it has been 

 distributed from the Jardin des I'lantes to other zoological 

 collections, includinc;- our own. 



\\ hy not, then, be content to examine him at the Zoo ^ 

 \Vh\' should "Uc want t > kill the j;oor beast? I haxc in* 

 defence to oW'ov. except that rather mean insiiucl which 

 forces up doijo's eu'ii's, uncut lolio,-, and loiciuu postaue 

 stamps whi(di have ceased t<> be useful, to iabulous values. 

 .\fter inimei'ous iu(|uii'ies I had failed to hear of anv 

 I'higlish spoii>uian who had successfully stalked the animal. 

 th(»UL!li T kuow of two, one ten years ami one twent\"di\(' 

 \'ears since, who hail l ncd m \ain.' A fVeuch iiook in m\" 

 possession, J^enscif/iienients sni- />/ I'rocinvc dc Constantinc, 



' Since the aliove was writlni a triciicj, wlm is one of the best lillc .-liots 

 ill Eiiglaml, I'liUnuffl almost exactly in nnr t'iMitstc|is. He ami liis conipaniim 

 hunted the .same L,'roun(l \'i<v live weeks, an<l secured three sjieciuiens, but two 

 of them Were niiiili bt-ttri' (rii])liici limn any of onr>. 



