i62 THE SHEEP AND ITS COUSINS 



individual variation in regard to the curvature of 

 the horns, but when they sweep directly backwards 

 in a bold semi-circular curve the tips have to be 

 sawn off in order to prevent injury to the neck of 

 the animal. 



On the face of it, this fact is an indication that 

 the unicorn character of the horns of these rams is 

 not a natural feature ; and from this and their 

 general appearance I was led, on the initiation of 

 the Duchess of Bedford, to suggest in The Field 

 newspaper of December 30, 1910, that art has 

 played a considerable part in the production of the 

 peculiarity. In this communication it was surmised 

 that these rams represented black-headed and 

 black-legged sheep closely akin to, if not identical 

 with, the Barwal, and that the union of the horns 

 was probably effected by bandaging them together 

 at an early age. After the aforesaid article was 

 published I wrote to Colonel J. Manners Smith, the 

 British Resident in Nepal, asking if he would be 

 good enough to make inquiries into the matter. 

 In due course I received a courteous reply, from 

 which the following extract was published in The 

 Field oi Kyc'A 27, 191 1 : — 



" The inquiries which have been kindly made 

 for me by His Excellency the Prime Minister of 

 Nepal, Maharaja Sir Chandra Shrim Shere Jang, 

 have resulted in a clearing up of the mystery 

 attaching to these curiosities. 



