passes in flavour the best mutton, and
has moreover the advantage of being generally tender soon after the
animal is killed."

According to Jerdon the burrel is fattest in September and October.
In the 'Indian Sporting Review' a writer, "Mountaineer," states that
in winter, when they get snowed in, they actually browse the hair
off each other, and come out miserably thin.

The name _Ovis nahura_ is not a felicitous one, as it was given under
a mistake by Hodgson, the nahoor being quite another animal. I think
Blyth's name of _Ovis burhel_ should be adopted to the exclusion of
the other, which, however, is in general use.

There is a very interesting paper on this animal by Mr. R. Lydekker
in the 'Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal,' vol. xlix., 1880,
in which he points out its affinity to the goats from the absence
of eye-pits and their larminal depression in the lachrymal
bone--from the similarity of the basi-occipital and in the structure
and colour of its horns. On the other hand it agrees with _Ovis_ in
the form of its lower jaw, in the absence of beard and any odour,
and in the possession of interdigital pores in all feet.

_GENUS CAPRA--THE GOATS_.

Horns in both sexes curving backwards, angular and flattened, or in
some cases twisted spirally. The nose is arched, and the chin of both
sexes is more or less bearded; there are no eye-pits or inguinal pits,
and feet-pits only in the fore-feet in most, and none in some. Mr.
Blyth some years ago pointed out that a hind-quarter of goat with
the foot attached can always be told from the same piece of mutton
by the absence of the feet-pits in the goat. The males especially
emit a strong odour. In other respects there is little difference
between goats and sheep, and by interbreeding they produce a fertile
offspring. Our domestic goat is supposed to have descended from the
ibex, but certainly some of our Indian varieties may claim descent
from the markhor. I noticed in 1880 at Simla herds of goats with horns
quite of the markhor type, and one old fellow in a herd of about one
hundred, which was being driven through the station to some rajah's
place in the vicinity, had a remarkably fine head, with the broad
flat twist of the markhor horn. I tried in vain to get a similar one;
several heads were brought to me from the bazaar, but they were poor
in comparison. Goats are more prolific than sheep. The power of
gestation commences at the early age of seven months;