Markhor 287
the two kee§form the worm ; in females the horns short, compressed, and
spiral. General colour m winter gray, in summer rich reddish-brown, but
in old males whitish throughout; the long hairs of the winter pelage white
at the base, with brown tips ; the under-parts lighter than the back, in
some cases whitish ; a dark stripe on the front of the legs from the knees
and hocks to the fetlocks ; beard of males black in front, light gray behind ;
tail dark brown ; and in young animals the general colour uniformly grayish-
brown, with a darj||stripe down the middle of the back, and, it is said, the
beard wh p|p black. Horns deep black.
The markhor "lliterally snake-eater) jp .entitled to rank as one of the
handsomest, i f not actually the handsomest, of all the wild goats. The
horns indicate four more or ^«distinct types, the extreme modifications of
which differ much more widely from onfe, another than do the horns of
many species ; but since all the four types more or less completely inter-
grade, it is evident they must be ranked as geographical raofs, and can have
no claim to specific rank. There is »18 an extinct; form from the Siwalik
Hills, which likewise seems best regarded as a race, although specimens less
imperfect than th o ^ known might show specific characters.
The form of the h«ns and the nature of the beard are amply sufficient
to prove that the markhor has no close affinity with any of the other Asiatic
wild goats. . Its occurrence in the Pliocene dejjgjts of the Siwaliks indic
a t ® that it is evidently an ancient type. And although its beard is
different, the shape and contour of the horns, together with their black
colour, so different from that of the true ibex, are strongly suggestive that
its closest affinities are with the Spanish tur.
Its connection with the parentage of the wild goat has been already
referred to under the heading of Capra hircus. With regard to its alleged
snake-killing propensities, it may be mentioned that, while there is no
definite information available as tifitheir truth or otherwise, precisely the
same attribute is assigned to the common goat in Scotland.
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