136 DISTRIBUTION AND HABITS OF ARGALI SHEEP 



This magnificent race of Argali is typical for the Pamir 

 Plateau ; it was first mentioned by Marco Polo and was after- 

 wards named after him. 



Ovis poli (O. ammon poli) occurs in Pamir from Hunza 

 to the neighbourhood of the sources of Amu-Daria 

 (Lydekker). In the north "poli" inhabits also Chinese 

 territory near the Karnart pass, at the head of the Kuntemis 

 river. Also farther south, in the Taghdumbash. the 

 Kungerab, Obrang, Bayik, Kukturuk and two nullahs near 

 Bozai Gumbaz. 33 



Probably this race has had a much greater distribution 

 also outside Pamir proper, because in the alpine regions of 

 Tian-Shan, on the frontier of Pamir, their horns and skulls 

 are much in evidence ; though these places are now inhabited 

 by the Tian-Shan race "Ovis ammon carelini." 34 



Ovis carelini. 



The region inhabited by this race stretches from the 

 N.E. end of the Ala-Tau mountains (which form their 

 northern boundary) westwards along the range to the head 

 of Borotala and from there eastwards along the entire stretch 

 of foothills of the Tian-Shan, from Zaisan Nor to Karlik- 

 Tagh, which latter forms the farthest point of the range. 



They are found throughout the whole Central and S.W. 

 Tian-Shan, from Eastern Yuldus as far as the Aksay and 

 Atbaski plateaux. In the latter localities they were 

 observed by Carruthers during his visit there in 1908. In 

 his Unknown Mongolia Vol. II, page 569-570, from which 

 the above information is gleaned, we find additionally the 

 following notes re the distribution of "carelini." 



Throughout the whole of their northern and eastern 

 distribution which includes the Ala-Tau, Borotala, N. and 

 E. Tianshan only "carelini" are met with. For instance, 

 the horns seen in the Karlik-Tagh, right on the edge of the 

 Gobi, were in every respect similar to those of the Borotala. 



Except in the above-mentioned regions of Tian-Shan 

 "Argali" occur also in the Kurruk-tagh ranges which belong 

 to the Tian-Shan though somewhat isolated from this massif. 

 Wild sheep have here been observed in the neighbourhood 

 of Tograk-Bulak by Dr. Sven Hedin in 1900. 35 Kurruk-Tagh 

 consists throughout of rather low and almost completely 



Ralph P. Cobbold, Innermost Asia. 



Encyclopaedia Britannica, lltji Eddition. 



Sven Hedin, Central Asia and Tibet, Vol. I, page 339. 



