79 



July 10th, 1838. 

 "Wm. Ogilby, Esq., in the Chair. 



A letter dated Tymaen Pyle, Glamorganshire, May 14th, 1838, 

 was read, addressed to the Secretary by J. E. Bicheno, Esq., accom- 

 panying a donation to the Museum of a skin of the Burrhal Sheep 

 from the Himalaya Mountains. The animal being quite new to the 

 collection had been set up by Mr. Gould, and was placed in the room 

 for exhibition. Mr. Bicheno writes as follows : 



" I found the accompanying skin in the possession of a neigh- 

 bouring gentleman, who left India last year ; and as I apprehend it 

 to belong to a rare animal, and hardly known in this country, I 

 have, with his permission, sent it to the Museum of the Zoological 

 Society. It is not possible for me, at this distance from authorities, 

 to make it out satisfactorily, but it seems very near to the Asiatic 

 Argal (Ort's Argala), if not identical; if so, however, it varies in many 

 particulars from the descriptions given of that species. 



" It was killed, June 1st, 1836, byThos. Smith, Esq., I5th Native 

 Infantry ; known in India as one of the most intrepid sportsmen 

 and best shots in the country. He met with it in the Great Snowy 

 Range close to the Barinda Pass, communicating with Chinese Tar- 

 tary, near also to the famous peak called Jaurnootrie, under which 

 rises the river Tamna. He estimates the height at which he found 

 the animal to have been from 15,000 to 17,000 feet: Humboldt, 

 he thinks, calls the Berinda Pass 18,000 feet high. 



" The hill-men call it Burrhal, and considered this specimen to 

 have been seven years old by the horns. The cry was that of a tame 

 sheep. It was exceedingly shy, and no animal in Mr. Smith's opi- 

 nion is so difficult of approach. During his expedition in pursuit of 

 the Burrhal he killed also the Thaar, which he took to be a species of 

 Goat, and the ' Serow,' an Antelope, which Mr. Hodgson has de- 

 scribed in the Journal of the Asiatic Society, No. 45, for Sept. 1835. 

 The Thaar is also described in the same paper, and is regarded by 

 him to be an Antelope. Mr. Hodgson suspects the Burrhal to be his 

 Ovis Nahoor, but I have no opportunity of consulting the work." 



An extract, forwarded by Mr. Bicheno, copied from the journal of 

 Lieut. Thomas Smith, was also read, in which, after describing the 

 great difficulty he found in reaching the district frequented by the 

 Burrhal, he proceeds : 



" I was at last repaid by seeing nine of them at about 600 yards, 

 and they saw us. I attempted to get near ; but no ! they are with- 

 out exception the most difficult animals in the world to get near ; and 

 the air being so rarilied I could hardly breathe, my Paharrees con- 

 stantly falling and declaring they ivould die, and begging me to re- 

 turn. 



No. LXVII. — Proceedings of the Zoological Society. 



