350 Further Notice of the Species of Wild Sheep. [April, 



miles from Dambool, on the road to Anuradhapura, or rather to the 

 eastern side of the road, I accidentaly met the ruins of an ancient 

 native road, which tradition asserts once united Poflonnaruwa with a 

 dagobah in the vicinity. A bridge of massive granite over a rivulet, 

 now dry, first attracted my attention. It was composed of upright 

 blocks of granite about eight feet long, supporting other horizontal 

 blocks about four feet broad, seven feet long and a foot thick. On 

 each side of this bridge the road might be traced for a considerable 

 distance by its elevation above the plain around. The new road to 

 Anuradhapura cuts through it, and on each side it presents of course 

 merely the appearance of an ordinary mound of earth. 



Some further Notice of the Species of Wild Sheep, by Ed. Blyth, 

 Curator of the Asiatic Society, fyc. fyc. 



" No great while ago," writes Mr. Hodgson, (J. A. S. XV, 342,) 

 " only two or three species of wild Sheep were recognised by men of 

 science. But Mr. Blyth has, all at once, produced a splendid cornuco- 

 pia -of species, founding many of them, however, upon an inspection 

 of the horns solely. I question the possibility of so establishing spe- 

 cies or genera in this group ; and, as a proof of the necessity of 

 examining carefully the entire structure of the animals, I need merely 

 refer to Mr. Blyth' s signal error, already adverted to, in reference to 

 the organization of Capra or the domestic Goat, and to an oversight 

 equally important to be mentioned presently." 



The " signal error" adverted to has not, however, been yet set right 

 by Mr. Hodgson. It is true that I did follow my predecessors in 

 stating that the Goats are devoid of the suborbital and interdigital 

 pores which occur in the Sheep ; and I have since stated (in XV, 154,) 

 that the absence of the interdigital sinus affords an easy method of 

 distinguishing a leg of goat mutton from one of mouton proprement dit. 

 But Mr. Hodgson states (XV, 337), that " Goats have interdigital, 

 thouph not lachrymary, pores; and consequently Mr. Blyth's suggested 

 genus Ammotragus is based on misconception, though accidentally true 

 to nature, at least in my view of her, and without reference to systems. 



