ARGALI. 381 



Winter the face, and particularly the part about the 

 tip of the nose, becomes more white, the back of 

 a more ferruginous cast, and the hair, which in 

 summer is close, like that of a deer, becomes 

 somewhat rough, wavy, and a little curled ; con- 

 sisting of a kind of wool intermixed with hair, 

 and concealing at its roots a fine white woolly 

 down : the hair about the neck and shoulders, as 

 well as under the throat, is considerabl}^ longer 

 than on other parts. The female is inferior in 

 size to the male, and has smaller and less curved 

 horns. 



In Siberia the Argali is chiefly seen on the tops 

 of the highest mountains exposed to the sun, and 

 free from woods. The animals generally go in 

 small flocks : they produce their young in the 

 middle of March, and have one, and sometimes 

 two, at a birth. The young, when first born, are 

 covered Avith a soft, grey, curling fleece, which 

 gradually changes into hair towards the end of 

 summer. 



From spring to autumn the Argalis feed in the 

 little vallies among the upper regions of the 

 mountains, on the young shoots of the Alpine 

 plants, and are said to grow very fat. As winter 

 approaches, tliey descend lower and eat grass and 

 other vegetables. They are fond of frequenting 

 spots of a saline nature, and will excavate the 

 ground in such places, in order to get at the salt. 



The horns of the old males grow to a vast size, 

 and have been found of the length of two Russian 

 yards, measured along the spires ; ^yeighing fif- 



