THE MOUFLON 



(Ovis musimon) 



THE mouflon, or muflon, is the only wild sheep inhabiting Europe, where it 

 is restricted at the present day to the mountains of Corsica and Sardinia. 

 In former times it doubtless had a more extensive range, and there are 

 reports of its occurrence within the historical period in Greece and the Balearic 

 Islands. It is likewise reported to have once inhabited the mountain ranges of 

 central Spain. 



Like all wild sheep, the mouflon has a hairy coat, while its tail is short and 

 deer-like, as in the small domesticated sheep of Soa and other Hebridean islands, 

 of which it is probably the ancestor. The woolly fleece and long tail of many 

 domesticated breeds must accordingly be regarded as features due to careful 

 selection ; and in this connection it is important to notice that some of the 

 domesticated sheep of Africa, as well of the East, possess hairy coats like their 

 wild ancestors. 



The general colour of the mouflon, like that of so many ruminants, is of a 

 protective nature, being dark above and white beneath, with a white rump-patch 

 as a signal-mark for the members of the flock when in flight. In accordance with 

 the nature of its surroundings, the mouflon has a darker and more rufous coat than 

 the gazelle ; but old rams have a whitish saddle-patch on the back in the winter 

 coat. In their native haunts these sheep are stated to be very difficult to detect. 

 The white streaks on the face so characteristic of the gazelles are wanting, but the 

 dark flank-band dividing the fawn of the back from the white of the belly is a 

 feature common to mouflon and many species of gazelles. 



In height the mouflon ram stands only about 27 inches, so that the 

 species is one of the smallest of the wild sheep. The horns of the rams usually 

 curve forwards on the sides of the face ; the right horn thus forming a right-handed 

 spiral, and vice versa. In some Sardinian rams, however, there is an alteration 

 in the direction of the upper part of the spiral, so that the horns curve back- 

 wards over the neck, instead of forwards by the sides of the face. The ewes of 

 the Sardinian mouflon appear to be generally, if not invariably, hornless ; but 

 some Corsican females, at any rate, carry small horns ; and it may be that the 

 presence or absence of horns in this sex forms a distinction between the races 

 respectively inhabiting the two islands. 



Mouflon are found only in certain parts of the mountains of Sardinia and 

 Corsica ; and when in repose usually resort to high peaks or ridges whence a wide 

 view can be obtained. Moreover, they frequently select situations where currents 



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