OVIS. Mr. Blyth considers that there are fourteen species of this genus of mammals. M. Gervais reckons only six species. Of Asiatic species, Jerdon describes O. cycloceros, nahura, Polii, and Vignei, giving O. burhel as a syn. of O. nahura. Blyth mentions O. Gmelini of Armenia, O. cylindricornis of the Caucasus, and O. nivicola, Eschscholts, of Kamtschatka. Mr. Hodgson regards the sheep as essentially an alpine animal. The Kirghiz breed has a great tail of 20 vertebral bones, so loaded with fat that a truck is occasionally made to carry it. The Karakul breed has a fine, curled, black, and valuable fleece. Gestation fasts 144 to 150 days.
Ovis ammon, Linn., the argali.
O. argali, Pallas. I O. Hodgsoni, Blyth.
O. ammonoides, Hodgs.
Hyan, Nuan, Nyan, Niar, Nyund, Gnow, TIB.
On the Tibetan side of the Himalaya. Ovis ammon stands from 4 to 5 feet high, and measures 7 feet from nose to tail. It is quite a Tibetan animal; is seen as high as 18,000 feet, and is seldom seen below 14,000 feet, except when driven lower by snow. Measurement of a male of five years, according to the markings on the horns, 6 feet 5 inches, viz. :— From nose to base of horns, . 1 ft. 1 in.
Thence to insertion of tail, . . 5 „ 1 „ Tail to end of hair, . . . . 0 „ 3 „ Circumference of horn at base, . 1 „ 4 „ Winter pelage, above deep brown, interspersed with grey, with a distinctly marked darker dorsal line passing (as in O. montana) in a narrow stripe through the disc on the croup, even to the tip of the tail. Sides mixed hoary or slaty grey brown ; disc on the croup well defined and dirty white, the hair appearing as if rubbed. The throat and neck beneath to the breast, white, sprinkled with scattered brown hair ; the hair long, bushy, and pendent, and from 6 to 7 inches in length, while that of the back is barely 2 inches, except on the dorsal line, where it is 3 inches, and on the ridge of the neck above 3} inches. Tail, above, brown, whitish at the sides, naked beneath. Under parts dirty white ; medial line blackish, outside of the limbs with a dark list ; lips whitish. Dr. Adams
says it is more plentiful on the northern ranges. A few remain about the Tooskee lake and neigh bouring bills during summer • the majority, how ever, migrate to Nubra as the snow melts. The finest horns are to be procured on the chaits. These cairns are mostly made up of horns of tame yak, wild sheep and goats, which are piled up in the shape of a cone, with stones, pieces of quartz, pebbles, and sticks, to which rags are attached. When a Tartar arrives at one, he walks round it several times, repeating a prayer, of which Om mani padi om ' forms the chief An adult male argali stands about 12i hands high at the shoulders.—Blyth ; Jerdon; Adams.
Ovis cries, the common sheep, is subject to great variety, and many of its forms have been raised to the rank of species. Dr. Gray, in the British Museum Catalogue, enumerates no less than 33 varieties as under : (a) The Spanish sheep, Ovis Ilispanicus, Linn. ; called also the Merino sheep and the British middle-w °oiled sheep.
(b) The common sheep (Ovis rusticus, Linn. ' • O. Gallica, Desm. ' • O. brachyurus, Pallas ; O. leptura, Schreb.) ; the hornless sheep (0. Anglicana, Linn.). Of this variety there are numerous forms, such as the Muggs, Shetland, Southdown, Old Lincoln, Romney Marsh, Cobwold, New Leicester, Cheviot, Old Teeswater, improved Teeswater, Dunky, Zetland, Orkney, Welsh mountain sheep, sof t woolled sheep of Wales, Wicklow mountain sheep, Kerry sheep, Exmoor sheep, blackfaced sheep, blackfaced Heath sheep, and the Bass or Roosh (Ovis Polii, Blyth).
(c) The Banyan sheep (Aries barwal, Hodg son); Ovis barwal, Hodgson ; O. ammonoides, var. 1, Gray. It inhabits Nepal.
(d) The Hnniah sheep (Ovis hunia, Hodgson), the Hunia, or blackfaced sheep of Tibet. Also a native of Nepal.
(e) The Cago (Ovis cagia, Hodgson), the Kago, or tame sheep of Kabul region, the Cago sheep of Gray. A native of Nepal.