DISTRIBUTION AND HABITS OF ARGALI SHEEP 157 



explorers who, when approaching sheep grounds, actually 

 have seen these animals mixed with antelopes and using the 

 same grazing grounds. Now the antelope has never been 

 called anything else than a plain-animal, and the conclusion 

 is obvious. 



A possible objection to such a theory of migration may 

 be that the forest belts which undoubtedly grew at the foot 

 of the mountain ranges should have prevented the sheep 

 from going through. To this the author will reply, that in 

 Min-Shan (Kansu) he has personally observed that Blue 

 Sheep (which are supposed to be typical rock-animals) do 

 not hesitate, if hunted or if changing grazing grounds, to 

 wander through forest-belts of ample dimensions. 



That Argali has also inhabited the low-lying, great 

 plains of N. China is proved by numerous discoveries of 

 fossil-remains of these animals in loess and gravel-beds on 

 the north-wgst Chihli plain. 



