Plate X X V I.
Characters.—Size large, the height at the shoulder ranging between
36 and 40 inches. Build somewhat heavy and clumsy, with the face
long, narrow, and straight. Horns almost or quite touching at the base,
greatly compressed, flattened on each side from a short distance above the
base, the sides distinctly ridged transversely, and the front inner angle
forming a sharp nodular keel, diverging from the base and curving
backwards sharply, but' somewhat convergent at
the tips. Head covered withHhort hair ; the
hair on the body soft and much longer, andnn
the neck, shoulders, and chest elongated sp as in
old males toSlorm a shaggy mane reaching at
least as low the knees. General dolour rich
dark or reddish-brown, darkest in old maj.es, but
in some cases paler, and the fore part of the
mane in old males generally^-whitish or hoary ;
the individual hairs pale at their bases and dark
brown towards the t ip ll face and front surface:
fflth e legs vjtery dark brown, sometimes almoffi
black ; a d a rk ® te a k down the middle ^Hthe
Fig. 58.—Head of male Him
layan Tahr. (Ward, Records which is, however, very indistinct in old
o f B ig Game.) J
males ; hinder surfaces of the limbs pale-or rusty
red in the males ; immature individuals grayish-brown, and kids very pale-
coloured. Tail short, flattened, and naked on the under surface ; knees
and chest furnished with callous pads; and the females with four teat*
An adult male will weigh about 200 lbs,
The distinctive features of this, the typical, species are the large size,
the sharply-keeled nodose, compressed horns, the long soft mane of the
males, and the four teats of the females.
Mr. Blanford records a maximum horn-length of 16^ inches, but the
following are some of the largest measurements given in Mr. Rowland
Ward’®- book :—
Length along
Front Curve.
Basal
Circumference. Tip to Tip.
h I ? ?
H i
O0DH0I
4i
H i - : ■ «1
14
tit 9- i f
1 i i " S " B M
H i iSlftffe i
M g p i 1
DistribuijgM.u T he• forest districts of the middle Himalaya, from the
Pir-Panjal to Sikhim ; abundant in the lower Wardwan, Kistwar, and
Chamba districts, as it is in Gahrwal. Apparently unknown in the
Kajnag range, and not occurring in the ranges to the north of the valley
of Kashmir, its limits in these districts being thus bounded to the north
and north-west by the .spfley of the Jhelam river.
HabitWhULa the Simla district the name of thi|Jsspecies is tahr or tehr,
but in Kistwar it is known as kras, and in Kashmir :f| jagla. Although I
have hunted tahr in the valley of the Chinab, I have had but little opportunity
^of studying their habits in detail, and am therefore compelled to
quote from the writings of those who have been more favoured. Among
these accounts that of General A. A. Kinloch isBne of the best The
tahr,” he writes, “ is, like the markhor, a forest-loving animal, and although
itEjmetimes resorts to the rocky summits of the hills, it generally prefers
the steep |popes which are more ,*r less clothed with trees. Female tahr
may frequently be found on open ground ; but old males hide a great deal
in the thickest Jungle. Nearly perpendicular hill|§with dangerous preci-
picdp! where the forest (Insists o f oak and jMjfngal cane, are the favourite