SOME PECULIAR AFRICAN BREEDS 223 



irregular. As a rule, the head is white, as are the 

 shanks and most of the lower half of the tail ; the 

 small growth of woolly hair being grey. The 

 horns and hoofs are blackish. 



The aforesaid Congo sheep, which was regarded 

 by Dr. Fitzinger* as a cross between the long- 

 legged Guinea breed and the Theban goat, under 

 the name of Ovis longipes congensis, is a very 

 distinct type, characterised by its goat-like appear- 

 ance and large stature. In both sexes the head 

 is strongly and uniformly convex from forehead 

 to chaffron ; but only the rams bear horns, which 

 are small, short, and rather thin. The throat is 

 furnished with a distinct dewlap, and likewise with 

 a pair of cylindrical lappets or tags, and in old 

 rams develops a fringe of long hairs. The body 

 is short, with the withers higher than the croup ; 

 the legs are long and stilt-like ; and the compara- 

 tively long and thin tail, which reaches considerably 

 below the hocks, is clothed for the greater part of 

 its length with short, close-lying hair, but towards 

 the tip carries a longer growth which tends to form 

 a tuft. The coat consists of very similar short 

 hair, which becomes somewhat elongated On the 

 fore part of the neck, as well as on the throat and 

 dewlap. The colouring is variable, but generally 

 more or less distinctly pied with various shades of 

 brown and blackish on a greyish ground ; the sides 



' Op. ci/.,p. 211. 



