CHAPTER XXXI. 



THE GREAT THIBETAN SHEEP, OR NYAN. 



OVIS HODGSONII. 

 In Thibet — Nyan. 



On the wild bleak uplands of Thibet, where for hundreds of miles not a tree is to be 

 met with ; where in every direction, as far as the eye can reach, there is nothing but a vast 

 expanse of barren soil, rock and snow ; where there is no shelter from the glare of a cloud- 

 less noon, nor from the freezing winds that sweep the naked hills with relentless force towards 

 the close of day ; here, in the midst of solitude and desolation, where animal life has 

 apparently to struggle for existence under every disadvantage, is the home of this great 

 wild sheep. 



Several nearly allied species of large sheep inhabit the various mountain ranges of 

 Northern and Central Asia, but their exact number has not yet been satisfactorily ascertained. 

 According to the most reliable authorities there are at least four, viz., the Siberian Sheep 

 {Ovis Ammori); the Sheep inhabiting the Tian Shan range (Ovis Karelini) ; the Sheep 

 of the Pamir Steppe (Ovis Poli) ; and the Thibetan Sheep (Ovis Hodgsonii), 



The last named was long supposed to be identical with the Siberian Sheep or Argali, 

 and to this day the scientific name of the Argali has been familiarly but erroneously adopted 

 by sportsmen as the designation of the Thibetan Sheep. 



Why a long Latin name should always be applied to this sheep, while the vernacular 

 names of other Himalayan animals are in common use, I cannot imagine ; and both 

 brevity and scientific accuracy are best attained by dropping the scientific, and adopting the 

 Thibetan, name, in descriptions of sporting adventures. 



The favorite haunts of the Nyan with which I am acquainted are, near the Salt Lake, 

 on the north-western side of the Pangong Lake, at Chushul, and in the neighbourhood 

 of Hanle\ It is also pretty numerous in the valley of the Sutlej beyond the Ni'tl Pass. 



The Ovis Hodgsonii is the largest wild sheep which has yet been discovered, for although 

 the horns of the Ovis Poli are longer (but not so thick) the animal is not so large. A full- 

 grown male stands upwards of twelve hands at the shoulder. I have never seen one over twelve 

 hands and one inch. The color of the upper part of the body is a dark earthy-brown, 

 becoming lighter towards the lower parts. The rump is light-colored, and the tail is only 

 about an inch in length. The throat and chest are adorned by a white ruff, the hairs of 

 which are considerably lengthened ; those on the body being short, brittle, and very 

 close-set. 



