1895.] ox THE OCCtJEEEJfCE OF THE BAEBAET SHEEP IS EGYPT. 85 



3. On tte Occurrence of the Barbary Sheep in Egypt. By 

 P. L. ScLATER, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S., Secretary to the 

 Society. 



[Eeceived January 11, 1895.] 



Although Geoffroy St.-Hilaire is stated to have brought to Paris 

 a specimen of the Barbary Sheep (Ovis trar/daphiis), obtained near 

 the city of Cairo (Savigny, Description de I'Egypte, vol. ii. p. 742 

 (1812), Mammif. pi. vji. fig. 2 (1809) ), 1 have always supposed 

 that some mistake had occurred as to this locality ', as until recently 

 I knew of no modern authority for its being met with, except in 

 Morocco Algeria, and Tunis. As regards Tripoli I have no certaiQ 

 information, but I have been informed that a Wild Sheep is found 

 in the interior of that country. 



Last summer, therefore, 1 was rather surprised when I was told 

 by Major Talbot, E.E., of the Intelligence Department, who had 

 lately visited the frontier of Egypt at Wady Haifa, that several 

 specimens of a Wild Sheep had lately been obtained on the banks 

 of the T^ile in that district. Major Talbot was kind enough to 

 refer me to Capt, J. G. Dunning, who had been for some time 

 stationed at Wady Haifa, for further particulars, and Capt. Dun- 

 ning, at my request, supplied me with the following notes : — 



" During the summer of 1890 a herd of some 13 Sheep, according 

 to native accounts, were continually seen in the neighbourhood of 

 Semneh, some forty miles south of AVady Haifa on the Nile, and 

 on the east bank of that river. Several of these Sheep were shot 

 by natiA'es and brought into Haifa, the head sent from Assouan 

 and the horns now at Mr. Eowland Ward's belonging to two of 

 those shot. 



" These Sheep had not been seen in that neighbourhood before, 

 and have not been seen since, and it is possible that the drought 

 which obtained in the Atbai very generally from the years 1886-91 

 forced these animals down to the Nile, as the water-holes and 

 pools became di'ied up. 



" They are supposed to come from the neighbourhood of Grebel 

 Hisse (or Isse), some 60 miles to the S.W. of the Elba mountains. 

 This mountain of Hisse or Isse is presumably the head of the 

 Wady Allaki, which falls into the Nile some 40 miles north of 

 Korosko." 



Capt. Dunning, moreover, informed me that he was expecting 

 to receive from Assouan a head of this Sheep, which would be at 

 my service for examination. This, I am sorry to say, has never 

 reached me, and, as Capt. Dunning has gone to Uganda, I have not 



^ There seems to be no doubt that the Barbary Sheep is represented on some 

 of the ancient monuments of Egypt (see Ammotragns tragelaphus in Dr. E. 

 Hartmann's article on the Animals, figured by the Ancient Egyptians on their 

 sculptures, in Brugsch's Zeitschr. f. Agyptische Sprache u. Alterthums, ii. p. 23) , 

 but many non-Egyptian animals are figured in these drawings. 



