. The naturalist's library; containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects; . down-wards, that they effectually prevent the animal from feeding on levelground. Its flesh is said by those who have fed on it, to be quite deliciouswhen it is in season, far superior to that of any of the deer species whichfrequent the same quarter, and even exceeding in flavor the finest Englishmutton. The missionaries who first discovered the Rocky Mountain sheep, describeit correctly as possessing the hair and the horns of the ram; and M. Geoffroyhas also b
. The naturalist's library; containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects; . down-wards, that they effectually prevent the animal from feeding on levelground. Its flesh is said by those who have fed on it, to be quite deliciouswhen it is in season, far superior to that of any of the deer species whichfrequent the same quarter, and even exceeding in flavor the finest Englishmutton. The missionaries who first discovered the Rocky Mountain sheep, describeit correctly as possessing the hair and the horns of the ram; and M. Geoffroyhas also briefly characterized it as having the head of sheep, with the body 374 MAMMALIA-SHEEP. of a deer. Several naturalists of eminence have considered it as formingbut one species with the argali; and Cuvier supposes that it may havecrossed Bherings Straits on the ice. It resembles the argali indeed, per-fectly in its manners, in the form of its bodv, and in the nature and colorof its hairy coat; but it seems to be a larger animal, and to present jconstant difference in the form of curvature in its horns. THE ARGALI, OR WILD SHEEP,*. Is an inhabitant of rocky and mountainous regions, and is principally foundin the Alpine parts of Asia. Dr Pallas observed this species existingthroughout the vast chain of mountains extending through the middleof that continent to the Eastern Sea. These animals have large horns, arched semicircularly backward, and di-vergent at their tips, wrinkled on their upper surface, and flattened beneath;on the neck are two pendant hairy dewlaps. This creature is about thesize of the fallow deer. It is of a gray ferruginous brown color above, andwhitish beneath. The face is also of a whitish hue; and behind each ofthe shoulders a dusky patch or spot is often discovered. In the Europeanvariety, the legs are generally white. The head exhibits much resemblanceto the ram; but the ears are considerably smaller in proportion to its body is large; but the neck
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookidnaturalistsl, bookyear1851
