under-fur at the same season. Genetal colour of adult rams in late summer
or early autumn bright rufous-brown, or foxy-red, becoming chocolate-
brown on the head and face ; sides of neck, throat, chest, a line on the
flanks, a streak down the withers, a saddle-shaped patch on the back, the
front and sides of the fore-legs above the knees, and the front and inner
side of the hind-legs above the hocks black. Ears grayish externally,
white on the margins and part of the interior ; muzzle and chin grayish-
white, passing into a grayish-rufous patch in tbe-eentrefjpf the black area
on the throat ; hinder border of black
saddle marked by a broad band grizzled
with white. All the under-parts, except
a narrow dark streak between the forelegs,
and the buttocks, pure white, which
stands out in brilliant contrast to the
black band on the flanks. A narrow
white —streak on the hinder surface of
both pairs of legs above the knees and
hocks ; -lower portion of fore-legs white,
Fig. 30.—Female Muflon with horns. From
a photograph by the Duchess of Bedford.
with a variable amount of black' dh the front surface between the knees
and the pasterns ; hind-legs below the hocks similarly coloured, but with
less of pure white. In winter the colour darkens and tends more to
chestnut-brown, while the saddle-like patch becomes larger and squarer,
and assumes posteriorly a yellowish or whitish tint, which is apparently
most marked in the very old rams. The face-glands below the eyes
are comparatively small. The description of the autumn coloration
is taken from a very fine mounted ram in the British Museum
shot by Mr. F. G. Barclay in the mountains of the interior of
Sardinia.
The ewes seldom have horns, and when present these are usually about
2 inches in length, as shown in the illustration.
The following horn-measurements of this species are recorded by
Mr. Rowland Ward
Length along
Front Curve. Circumference.
Tip to Tip; Locality.
34 1 i6| Sardinia
' 29§ 8i I I »
29 8f I I |
28| H 21
28| 9 IO
27 8g IO ‘ ”
9s I0i
26 H I0i Corsica
25i 1 IO Sardinia
2+2 9 s , 9f ”
Distribution —-A t the present day the mountains of Corsica and Sardinia.
Said formerly to have inhabited Greece and the Balearic Islands, though
this requires confirmation. With regard to the reputed former occurrence
of the muflon in Spain, Brehm believes this is due to it having been
Confounded with the Spanish tur ; much the same view being taken by
Senor Graells, in his monograph of the mammals of Spain quoted above.
Habits. — Muflon are restricted to certain mountain ranges in their
native islands, and there frequent only the higher portions, generally
selecting peaks which enable them to take a wide survey of the surrounding
country. They are remarkably wary, employing their senses of sight,
hearing, and smell; and, according to Mr. Buxton, are in the habit of
seeking for spots where currents of air meet. When thus situated they
are quite unapproachable, even when their station is otherwise most
favourable to the stalker. The ground they generally frequent is broken
rather than mountainous ; many of the valleys being filled with forests
of ilex. When, however, pigs are brought up to feed upon the acorns of
the latter, the muflon betake themselves to less disturbed situations.
Formerly, at any rate, muflon were found in flocks o f very large size,