MAMMALIA. 273 



to be peculiar to the countries lying east of Antalo, and 

 I saw none myself. 



The sheep kept by the Abyssinians of the highlands 

 belong entirely, so far as my observations extended, to 

 the short and fat-tailed race {Ovis steatopygus). They 

 are covered with wool, not like the well-known Somali 

 breed, commonly known throughout the East as Aden 

 sheep, which have a clothing of hair. The horns are 

 frequently well-developed and handsomely curved. The 

 sheep kept by the Habab tribes near the coast, and by 

 the Shohos, belong to the long-taUed race, and much 

 resemble the Indian sheep. They have short wool, and 

 are generally hornless. 



Immense numbers of goats are kept by the Shohos 

 and Habab tribes. The males are very fine animals, 

 with horns sometimes two feet in length, twisted slightly, 

 and very upright, much resenibling those of the Markhor 

 (Capra megaceros). 



Obdeb RODENTIA. 



26. Lepus segyptius, Geoffrey. 



Description de 1' Egypte. 



£. cegyptiaeuSyTIemp. and Ehr., Symb. Phys., t. xv. fig. 1. 



L. libycus, H. and E. (Berlin Museum). 



L. habessinicus, Brehm, Habesch, p. 64. 



L. abyssinicus, Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1867, p. 223. 



I can see no good reason for distinguishing the common 

 Hare of the Abyssinian coast-land from the desert Hare 

 of Egypt. It is a small greyish animal, very slight 

 in the body, with long legs and very large ears. It has 

 been by some naturalists looked upon as the Lepus 



T 



