18(56.] REV. H. B.TRISTRAM ON THE MAMMALS OF PALESTINE. 85 



Huleh. It is also reared by the Beni Sakkrs and other Bedouin 

 tribes in the forest region of Bashan. 



N.B. The remains of at least two extinct species of Ox were found 

 by us in recent bone-breccia in caves in the Lebanon. They have been 

 pronounced by Mr. Dawkins to belong probably to Bos primigenius, 

 and Bison bonasus. 



5. Ovis ARIES, L. 



Two varieties of Sheep are found in Palestine, by far the most 

 common being the broad-tailed Sheep, var. laticaudata, which, 

 indeed, is the only race we observed in the southern parts of the 

 country. The tail is frequently protected by a board placed on its 

 underside ; but we never saw the wheeled carts mentioned both by 

 Herodotus and later writers. The other breed, which appears to be 

 confined to the northern parts of the country, is a large-boned, rather 

 narrow-backed animal, with somewhat of the character of the Me- 

 rino, but larger and resembling in shape the old Cotswold breed of 

 England. The ram is always horned. 



6. Capra hircus, L. 



The Goat is more abundant in every part of this hilly and scantily 

 watered country than the Sheep, and constitutes its chief wealth. 

 There are at least three very distinct races found in Palestine. In 

 the neighbourhood of Hermon is a breed very much resembling that 

 of the British Isles. In the southern parts of Lebanon the Mohair 

 Goat {Capra angorensis, L.) is bred for the sake of its long silky 

 hair ; but this variety is never found in the rough bushy districts 

 which occupy the larger portion of Palestine. The common Syrian 

 Goat (Capra mambrica, L.) is almost universal throughout the 

 country. It is black, and may be at once recognized from any other 

 race by the long pendent ears, a foot long, hanging down far below 

 the recurved horns. 



7. Capra beden, Wagn. (=C sinaitica, Ehrenb.). 



The Syrian Ibex, or Beden of the Arabs. Only found in Palestine 

 in the neighbourhood of the Dead Sea, especially about Engedi. 

 Very abundant on the east side, in the mountains of Moab, and still 

 more so throughout the Sinaitic peninsula. It formerly extended 

 to the Lebanon, where its teeth have been found in cave-breccia by 

 ourselves and by M. Lartet (see Bull. Soc. Geol. de France, xxii. 

 p. 543). Quite as wild, nimble, and wary as the Ibex of the Alps. 

 It drops its kid in March or April, and has but one at a birth. 

 Several young ones were brought to us, and reared for some time by 

 hand. The horns ot the female are much smaller than those of the 

 male. The flesh is excellent, far superior to that of the Gazelle. 

 The horns of the male are subquadrangular, sharply eniargiuattd at 

 the inner anterior angle, and with from twenty to twenty-four (in 

 fully adult specimens) bold ridges on the front face only. 



