The wild Sheep of Afghanistan. 515 



I am inclined to think, however, that the animal under 

 present consideration, may lay as good a claim to the name 

 of Bearded Sheep, as the Egyptian species, and is more 

 likely to have been the original from which Pennant took 

 his description than the latter. To avoid confusion, however, 

 I have thought it better not to interfere with established 

 names, and I shall therefore distinguish the Afghan Sheep 

 by the title of " Ovis Cycloceros," a name which is founded 

 on the circular direction of the horns. 



A full grown individual of this beautiful and remarkable 

 species stands, according to Captain Hay's observations,* 

 about three feet four inches at the shoulder ; from nose to 

 tail five feet four inches in length ; horns two feet six inches 

 long, and 12 inches in circumference at the base. This 

 however must be considered the description of an aged 

 individual. 



The measurements of a four year old specimen, living in 

 my possession at Candahar, were as follows : — 



Height at the shoulder two feet eight inches ; length from 

 the muzzle to the insertion of the tail four feet one inch ; 

 and the tail itself, which is flat, narrow, and tapering, is four 

 inches to the end of the hair, which however scarcely ex- 

 tends beyond it ; beneath, the tail is naked. All the upper 

 parts of the body are of an uniform yellowish or fawn coloured 

 brown ; beneath, and on the inside of the limbs, white ; knees 

 and fore pasterns pale coloured or dirty white ; inside of the 

 hams and buttocks, white; the face bluish grey, and about 

 nine inches long from between the horns to the muzzle : fore- 

 part of the fore-legs, greyish also ; a beard commences under 

 the jaws, where it is divided into two lobes, but immediately 

 unites, and forms a black fringe depending from the jaws 

 to the chest. From this character, if this be the Bearded 

 Sheep of Pennant, the name was derived. The tip of the tail 



* Journal of the Asiatic Society, No. 100, p. 440. 



