140 THE WILD SHEEP OF WESTERN KANSU 



" This animal in structure is quite as much allied 

 to copra as to ovis, and is referred to the latter 

 genus mainly because it resembles sheep rather than 

 goats in general appearance, and hence has been 

 generally classed with the former. Hodgson dis- 

 tinguished it as Pseudois, and there is much to be 

 said in favour of the distinction, but the sheep and 

 goats are so nearly allied that an intermediate 

 generic form can scarcely be admitted." 



The burhel probably indicates the transition 

 point from the sheep to the goats. Mr. Lydekker 

 from whose book, "Wild Oxen, Sheep, and 

 Goats," I have quoted says : " The difficulties of 

 the case may be fairly met by regarding the bharal 

 (or burhel) as the representative of a sub-generic 

 group in the direction of the goats." Bharal is the 

 Hindustani title. Its Ladaki name is na or s'na. 

 The natives of Kansu call it 'ngaiyang. 



The horns which I saw in the native houses and 

 those of a ram which I shot were said by the 

 hunters to be of the largest size. Much inferior in 

 length to the Indian species, the best horns of the 

 two varieties seem to approximate pretty closely in 

 girth and width, though somewhat different in 

 shape. The horns are smooth, growing more or 

 less at right angles to the skull, and curve upwards 

 and backwards at the tips. The males are hand- 

 somely marked with black on the forelegs, with 

 white patches on the knees and above the hoofs. 

 A black stripe runs up the hind legs to the point 

 of the thigh. The hocks are also black. The 

 chests of the older rams are of a similar colour, 

 speckled with white on the neck ; the black 

 marking extends between the forelegs. There is a 



