1847.1 Observations on the Oris Ammonoides of Hodgson. 571 



This species appears to differ from " Ovis montana" of America, in 

 having the hair on the throat elongated into a pendent fringe, while in 

 the latter species, as described in Griffith's Synopsis, it is distinctly 

 stated that there are " no long hairs under the throat." Dr. Richardson 

 (as quoted by Mr. Blyth in No. 35, J. A. S. for 1841) states in speak- 

 ing of the Rocky Mountain Sheep, that " as the ends of the hairs (in 

 which the colour resides) are gradually rubbed off during the progress 

 of the winter, the tints become paler, and the old rams are thus almost 

 white in the spring." In the male specimen before me, this could not 

 take place, for the colouring instead of being confined " to the ends of 

 the hairs," pervades them, though less intensely, to the base, and the 

 animal by rubbing would assume a slatey grey hue, except on the 

 throat, disc, and belly, where it would be white. In the American 

 species again, the tail is said to be 5 inches long, whereas in the Thibe- 

 tan animal it is only 3 inches, and the length from nose to tail appears 

 to be superior to that of " O. montana" 



On the other hand it would appear to agree very well with the de- 

 scriptions of " Ovis Amnion" except, that Col. H. Smith states, that 

 the female of that species wants the disc on the cronp, while in my 

 specimens the pale disc of the female is larger and more conspicuous 

 than in the male. 



Secondly, in the Synopsis, the horns are said to touch on the fore^ 

 head, while in Mr. Hodgson's description they are ^th of an inch apart, 

 and in my specimen they are |th of an inch apart ; — in the bare skull 

 they are 1^ inches apart. This character however is nullified in the 

 text, where it is said that they are " nearly touching." 



Thirdly, it is stated that the horns of " O. Ammon" have " the 

 broadest side towards the forehead" and if this means towards the 

 front, as I suppose it does, then it would seem to prove that our animal 

 is distinct from O. Amnion, inasmuch as its horns have the narrowest 

 side to the front, — the base of the triangle being 3 \ inches, and the 

 inner side 6 inches wide ! " O. Ammon" is likewise said to be " nearly 

 five feet in length" — whereas the Bhotan species is more than 6 feet 

 in length ! 



Unless therefore these published characters of O. Ammon can be 

 satisfactorily proved to be incorrect, it would appear that Mr. Hodgson 

 has good and sufficient grounds for declaring the two animals to be 



