this sheep at present in the London Zoological Gardens.

NO. 445. OVIS NAHURA _vel_ BURHEL.
_The Blue Wild Sheep_ (_Jerdon's No. 237_).

NATIVE NAMES.--_Burhel_, _Buroot_, in the Himalayas; _Napu_, _Na_,
or _Sna_, Thibet and Ladakh; _Nervati_, in Nepal. _Wa'_ or _War_ on
the Sutlej.

HABITAT.--This animal has a wide range; it is found from Sikim, and,
as Jerdon says, probably Bhotan, right away through Thibet, as Pere
David found it in Moupin, and it extends up to the Kuenluen mountains
north of Ladakh, and in Ladakh itself, and it has been obtained by
Prejevalski on the Altyn-Tagh, therefore the limits assigned by
Jerdon must be considerably extended.

[Illustration: _Ovis nahura_.]

DESCRIPTION.--General colour a dull slaty blue, slightly tinged with
fawn; the belly, edge of buttocks, and tail, white; throat, chest,
front of fore-arm and cannon bone, a line along the flank dividing
the darker tint from the belly; the edge of the hind limbs and the
tip of the tail deep black; horns moderately smooth, with few
wrinkles, rounded, nearly touching at the base, directed upwards,
backwards and outwards, the points being turned forwards and inwards.
The female is smaller, the black marks smaller and of less extent;
small, straight, slightly recurved horns; nose straighter. The young
are darker and browner.

SIZE.--Length of head and body, 4-1/2 to 5 feet; height, 30 to 36
inches; tail, 7 inches; horns, 2 to 2-1/2 feet round the curve;
circumference at base, 12 to 13 inches.

An excellent coloured plate is to be found in Blanford's 'Scientific
Results of the Second Yarkand Mission' and a life-like photograph
of the head in Kinloch's 'Large Game-shooting.' According to the
latter author the burrel prefers bare rocky hills, and when
inhabiting those which are clothed with forest, rarely or never
descends to the limits of the trees. "The favourite resorts of burrel
are those hills which have slopes well covered with grass in the
immediate vicinity of steep precipices, to which they can at once
betake themselves in case of alarm. Females and young ones frequently
wander to more rounded and accessible hills, but I have never met
with old males very far from some rocky stronghold. The males and
females do not appear to separate entirely during the summer, as I
have found mixed flocks at all seasons, though, as a rule, the old
males form themselves into small herds and live apart. In my opinion
the flesh of the burrel sur