~ 
Northern Hemisphere, and tame sheep are reared in 
all-parts of the world. 
The Argali (Caprovis Argali, Plate XXV. fig. c) 
is a very large and powerful wild sheep inhabiting 
the mountains of Siberia. It measures six feet in 
length, and nearly four feet in height. The horns of 
the ram are three or four feet long, and weigh fifty 
pounds; they are first curved downwards, and then 
upwards; those of the ewe are much shorter and 
lighter, and nearly straight. The long thick fleece 
is greyish brown in summer, and reddish brown 
in winter, but the snout, the thighs and the tail are 
always white. The Argali lives in flocks of eleven 
or twelve individuals, and always remains in the same 
district ; it is very wary, and if alarmed, escapes with 
prodigious bounds from rock to rock. ° 
The Mouflon (Ovzs muszmon, Plate XXVI. fig. a) 
is much smaller than the Argali, but is nevertheless 
of considerable size, measuring foor feet in length, 
including the tail, and standing two feet and a half 
high. The horns, too, which are usually met with 


only in the ram, are smaller and lighter than in the 
Argali, and never exceed two feet and a half in length. 
The hair is short and thick, the colour is reddish tawny, 
with a dark stripe on the back, and the undersurface 
is white. The Mouflon lives in flocks of forty or 
fifty individuals under the leadership of a strong ram, 
and is still found in considerable numbers in the 
rocky mountains of Corsica and Sardinia. 
The common Sheep (Ovzs arzes, Plate XXVI. 
fig. b. c) has long curly wool, a long tail, and short 
horns, only present in the ram. The wild sheep 
is active, lively, and possessed of a certain amount of 
intelligence, but the tame sheep 1s a sluggish creature, 
quite incapable of self-defence, and ready to rush 
headlong into any danger, unless restrained and 
protected by the shepherd and his faithful dog. The 
value of the fleece, the skin, and the flesh of the 
sheep is great; and the wool is particularly fine and 
soft in the Merino (Plate XXVI. fig. d) a moderate- 
sized, robust animal, with a large head, a convex 
snout, and large horns in the ram. 
Order XII. Sirenia. (Manatees and Dugongs.) 
(Plate XXVIIL) 
The Stvenza are aquatic animals with fish-like 
bodies like the whales. They resemble them also in 
the form of the head, which is always furnished with 
molar teeth at least; the mobility of the seven cer- 
vical vertebrae; and the structure of the limbs. The 
front limbsare cover- ee 
ed with hide and con oS 
verted into fins, and 
the hind limbs an 
tail are united t 
form a rudder. 
The Szrenza are 
sluggish animals, 
which feed on water- 
plants, and rarely 
venture on land, 
where they are al- 
most helpless. They — 
are found in bays, 
estuaries and large 
lakes, through which 






















\ mi \he 
‘eo 
eT es 
gradually increases in thickness from the neck to the 
middle, beyond which it narrows again. The tail-fin 
forms a somewhat crescent-shaped flapper. The long 
truncated upper lip forms a movable snout. The 
senses are not very acute, and the animal's food 
Nw ty IN jj, consists entirely of 
\ i/// || seaweed. 
// The genus Ma- 
' natus has a perpen- 
dicular, rounded tail- 
fin. These animals 
have a fishlike body, 
, thinly clothed with 
al \wy hair, and when full- 
ae oN ‘grown, they only 
WA “Yfrosses molar teeth. 
52 ee! The Sea-Cow 
“—~——~or Manatee (Mana- 
2 Wi Ztus australis, Plate 
~ XXVIII. fig. e) at- 
tains a length of nine 
oy 
("y I~ 
ll A - 
WAS aS 



























rivers flow. There 
are but two families, 
Halicoride and Manatide, each containing a single 
existing species. 
The Dugong (Halicore Dugong) inhabits the 
shores of the Indian Ocean, and attains a length of 
from nine to fifteen feet. The short thick neck is 
distinctly separated from the head, but passes im- 
mediately into the body, which is rotund, and 
Cetacea. (Whales and Dolphins.) 
Order XIII. 
Dugong. 

feet, and a weight of 
600 or 700 Ibs., and 
possesses a movable snout-like upper lip. It inhabits 
the coasts and bays of the Atlantic Ocean, especially 
in the West Indies, and on the Northern coast of South 
America. Although associated with seals and icebergs 
on our plate, it would be a mistake to imagine that 
it has any connection with either. It is much 
hunted for the sake of its hide and flesh. 
(Plates XXIX. XXX.) 
The Whales are exclusively marine animals> 
and some of them attain to an immense size and 
bulk. The large flattened head is not separated from 
the body by a narrower neck; the jaws are enormous, 
the eyes are very small, and there are no external 
ears over the small auditory openings. The body 
is long, stout and fishlike, and terminates in a hort- 
zontal fin, in which no trace of hind limbs or tail is visible. 
Mammalia. 

The whole body is covered with a thick layer 
of fat, or “blubber”, which renders these animals 
valuable, All the Whales swim well and with great 
rapidity, but as they breathe with lungs, they are 
obliged to come to the surface at intervals. 
The Balenide, or Whalebone Whales have no 
teeth in their jaws, but there is a channel on each 
side in the gums, which is filled with perpendicular 
