36 MARVELS OF THE ANIMAL WORLD 



of the world, but a few species inhabit Southern 

 Europe. 



Among the mammalian members of the animal 

 creation, one would hardly expect a sheep to prove a 

 very pugnacious beast, and although the majority 

 of them are of a placid and peaceful nature, yet, 

 in the Indian fighting-sheep or hunia, we have a 

 species which exhibits a very combative disposition. 

 In Nepal it was a common practice to match two 

 of these animals against one another in fight, and 

 occasionally they were even put to combat with 

 some other creature. The rams alone were used 

 for that purpose, and their owners regarded them 

 with great pride and tended them with much care. 

 In reference to these sheep, Mr. Lockwood Kipling 

 writes in his book Beast and Man in India : — ' A 

 Mohammedan sweU going out for a stroU with his 

 fighting-ram makes a picture of foppery not easily 

 surpassed by the sporting ' ' fancy ' ' of the West. The 

 ram is neatly clipped, with a judicious reservation 

 of the salient tufts, tipped with saffron and mauve 

 dye, and besides a large collar of blue beads, it 

 wears a necklace of hawk-bells.' 



The sheep use their heads and horns as weapons, 

 and, when fighting, rush at each other from a dis- 

 tance of a dozen yards and meet with a resounding 

 clash as they come into contact. The first blow 

 having been delivered, the combatants then walk 

 backwards to their ' corners ' and continue the fray 

 by charging once again, these tactics being repeated 

 until one of the animals gets home a ' knock-out 

 blow.' An instance is recorded of a fighting ram 



