58 



MESSRS. DANFORD AND ALSTON ON 



[Feb. 3, 



But on examining two other pairs of horns from the same locality, 

 in Danford's own collection, we find that they do not present the 

 peculiarities of the British-Museum skeleton, but agree excellently 

 with Blyth's type. In these horns (one pair of which are represented 

 in figs. 2, 5) the terminal portion is only gently bent upwards, the 

 sculpture is small and sharp, the fronto-orbital edge is not distinct, 

 except at the base, and the orbital surface is strongly convex through- 

 out, so that towards the middle of the horn it runs almost insensibly 

 into the frontal surface. 



As it is hardly possible that two closely allied species should be 

 found together on the Cilician Taurus, the above comparisons appear 

 to us to be of some importance, as illustrating the wide range of varia- 

 tion in the form of the horns in one species of Wild Sheep, and the 

 consequent necessity of examining a large series of specimens of such 

 animals before deciding as to their specific identity. When such 

 series are available from different localities, we suspect that some 

 of the recently described new species will prove to have been 

 founded on individual varieties. With a view to contributing to 

 such material, we have had the accompanying figures prepared, and 

 have drawn up the following list of the specimens examined, with a 

 table of their principal measurements. 



a. An enormous head in the British Museum, presented by Mr. 

 W. Burckhart Barker, and said to be from " an island in the Medi- 

 terranean" (!). 



b. Skin with horns. Erzeroom, Dickson and Ross, in the British 

 Museum. One of the types of Blyth's 0. ffmelini, the others being 

 a ewe and a lamb (figs. I, 4, pp. 56, 57). 



c. Horns, Cilician Taurus, in Danford's collection (figs. 2, 5, 

 pp. 56, 57). 



d. Horns, Cilician Taurus, in Danford's collection. 



e. Skeleton, CiHcian Taurus, Danford, in British Museum (figs. 

 3, 6, pp. 56, 57). 



Measurements. 



Length of horn along curve of fronto- 

 nuchal edge 



Circumference at base 



Circumference at one half of length 



Breadth of horns at widest portion, in 

 a straight Une 



Distance from tip to tip, in a straight 

 line 



We have given a description of the colour &c. of Danford's Cili- 

 cian examples in our former paper ; the typical skins of Blyth agree 

 perfectly with them. The males in both cases have no white saddle- 

 mark ; and the females are hornless. 



Dr. Strauch informs us that the original type specimen of S. G. 



