GOATS. 



29 



The Markhor ^ n ^ S ver ^ var i a °l e s P ec i es of wild Goat (1089) [Case 50.] 

 the horns are twisted in a complete spiral and 

 Capra falconeri. tne beard extends on to the chest and shoulders. 

 At least four different types of horns are recognisable representing 

 as many local races. The race in which the horns are most 

 divergent and their spiral most open inhabits Astor and Baltistan, 

 while the one with the most upright and closely twisted horns is 

 found in the Suleiman range of the Punjab. In habits Markhor 

 resemble other Wild Goats; but whereas the open-horned varieties 

 inhabit lofty pine-clad ranges, the one with closely twisted horns 

 is found among low barren hills where the summer heat is intense. 

 Many domesticated Goats have horns very similar to those of the 

 Markhor, although the spiral almost invariably runs in the 

 opposite direction. 



Tahr. The Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlaicus, 1099), [Case 51.] 

 GetlUS the smaller Arabian Tahr (H. jayakari, 1100), and 

 Hemitragus. the Nilgiri Wild Goat or Ibex (H. hylocrius, 1101), 

 form a group differing from the true Goats by their smaller horns, 

 the absence of a beard in the males, and their longer and narrower 

 skulls. The horns of the females are but little smaller than those 

 of the males. The Himalayan species inhabits the outer ranges 

 of the Himalaya where forest is abundant ; females frequenting 

 more open ground than males. The old males keep apart from 

 the females during the summer, and are found in districts where 

 precipitous cliffs are numerous. They are consequently some of 

 the most difficult of all animals to stalk. 



Serow, or Goat-Antelopes. ™ e Asiatic Serows belong to a group 



{tlupicaprina) showing affinity with the 

 GenUS NemorlueduS. Ante lope S on the one hand and the 

 Goats on the other. Most of the group have short tails, relatively 

 small cylindrical black horns, and the chin devoid of a beard. 

 The Serows, which include some of the largest members of the 

 group, inhabit hilly districts, and, although awkward in gait, are 

 unrivalled in getting over bad ground. The Himalayan species, 

 Nemorhcedus bubahnus (1104), represented by a specimen pre- 

 sented by Dr. W. T. Blanford, is a solitary animal, nowhere 

 numerous ; two or three being found on one hill, and three or 

 four on another. It prefers the rockiest and steepest hill-sides : 



