DISTRIBUTION AND HABITS OF ARGALI SHEEP 145 



Przhevalsky, who as I have stated, found O. commosa 

 further eastwards in 1870 gives the following description. 

 "Here we found for the first time one of the most remark- 

 able inhabitants of the high plateaux of Central Asia, namely 

 the Argali sheep, who lives in the most unapproachable 

 country, but in the spring when new and luscious grass 

 covers the plateaux, joins with the antelope herds. The 

 Argali sheep is noted for its sharp senses; before the herd 

 begins peacefully to graze on the steppe, guards are always 

 sent out to spy from a hillock or crag about the horizon. 

 Should no danger be spied, the guard returns to the flock 

 which now begins calmly to feed on the grazing ground. 

 . . . The Mongols use to hang a piece of cloth from a 

 pole to distract their attention. ' ' 



Habits of 0. hodgsoni. 



Lydekker (Wild Oxen, etc., p. 184) describes hodgsoni 

 in the Changchenmo district of Ladak thus : 



In the latter country during the winter these sheep 

 inhabit the lower and more protected valleys, where snow 

 does not accumulate to any great depth but with the advent 

 of summer the old rams separate from the flocks to resort 

 to more secluded situations a.t higher levels. 



According to General Kinloch these sheep are very parti- 

 cular in their choice of locality, resorting year after year to 

 the same spot, and entirely neglecting other hills which 

 apparently possess similar advantages with regard to pasture 

 and water. 



The open nature of the ground they frequent, renders 

 the old rams exceedingly difficult to stalk and even when 

 they resort to more broken ground, where the actual stalking 

 is easier, their extreme wariness often defeats the most 

 carefuHy laid plans of the sportsman. 



The breeding season is in December and January, when 

 the flocks are at comparatively low elevation; and the young 

 are born about the following May or June. 



Habits of Ovis poli. 



According to Lydekker (Wild Oxen, etc., p. 194) 

 O. poli are not at all fond of difficult and rocky mountains. 

 Their true ground is the long rolling plateau or rounded hills 

 of the Pamirs. I never saw one in a really bad place. They 

 are very wary, and often difficult to stalk on account of 

 the ground. 

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