with the muzzle, chin, and throat, white ; upper part of nose and area
in front of the eyes dusky-brown ; ears gray externally, white internally.
Face-glands small.
The above description is taken from an adult mounted male presented
to the British Museum by Colonel John Biddulph. With the exception
of the form of the horns, the animal reminds one of a European muflon,
with most of the black points and the saddle-mark either wanting or
F ig. 31.—Head of male Cyprian Muflon, . (From Biddulph, Prftc, Zool. Soc, 18.84.)
greatly reduced in size. And it may be observed that the curvature of
the horns, as in the typical race, recalls to some extent that which obtains in
those of the bharal, thus indicating that the latter is not quite so aberrant in
this respect as is generally considered to be the case. The type specimen
of this race is preserved in the museum at Berlin.
The following horn-measurements are given by Mr. Rowland Ward S 3
Length along Basal
Front Curve. “Circumference. ~ Tip to Ti{
24 8 4
23 i ■ 8 f t m
2 3 7 5«
22f 7è - 6
22j '.8 I 2 f
m 8 n
Although the complete rounding-off of the outer front angle of the
horns is considered distinctive of the Cyprian race, Messrs. Alston and
Danford, as mentioned above, have recorded examples of the typical mainland
race in which the same feature is displayed, so that the two: forms
are evidently very closely allied.
Distribution.-^The Troddos Mountains of Cyprus. These mountains
form the western central portion of the island, with their central peak
rising t j|a height of 6500 feet above the sea-level. “ Here,” writes Col.
Biddulph, “ the wild sheep have a considerable area of pine-clad mountain
to wander over, disturbed only by occasional wood-cutters and peasants
herding goats and sheep. At the time of the first occupation in 1878
it was supposed that the wild sheep had been exterminated with the
exception of appfingle flock of twenty-five members, and a check was
placed on their slaughter. Since then their numbers have increased,
and it maybe hoped that under modified restrictions muflon-stalking in
Troodos may long continue to be one of the sports of CypruMM
3. T he P listocen e M uflon—Ovis sa v in i (Extinct)
Caprotis savini, Newton, Geo/. Mag. decade 2, vol. vigsp. 449 (1880),
Vertebrata o f Forest-Bed {Mem. Geol. Surv. United Kingdom), p. 49, pi. x.
(1882), Vertebrata o f Pliocene Deposits o f Britain {Mem. Geol. Surv. United
Kingdom), p. 22 (1891)'.-.
Ovis savini, Lydekker, Brit. Mamm. (Allen’s Nat. Library), p. 309
( i 89S)-
Characters.—Founded upon the imperfect right half of a frontlet with
the greater portion of the horn-core attached, now in the British Museum.
In size and general curvature this specimen agrees very closely with the
corresponding portion of the skull of the Armenian race of the Asiatic
muflon, to which species it seems probable that the Plistocene wild sheep