‘WITH CARTRIDGES HANDY AND STEADY SHOOTING’

Measurements

AuthorityHeight at shoulderLength, head and bodyTailWeight as shotLength of hornsGirth of hornsRemarks
Capra sibirica
ins.ins.ins.lbs.ins.ins.
Col. Kinlochabout 40..........‘Large Game Shooting’
”........54..”
Major Ward38548188....‘Sportsman’s Guide to Ladak, &c.’
”......208....”
” (a female)32....104....”
”........52..”
Mr. M. Kennard........51½..Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Mr. Blyth, ‘Proc. Zoo. Soc.,’ 1840........51¼10½”
Sir V. Brooke........519⅛”
Major Ward........51..‘Sportsman’s Guide to Ladak, &c.’
”........5011”
”........5010”
Capt. J. Brickley........509Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Sir E. G. Loder, Bart.........49¾10⅜”
Mr. M. Kennard, 1887........49½10⅛”
Major Ward........4911‘Sportsman’s Guide to Ladak, &c.’
Mr. A. O. Hume........48½9⅝Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Major Ward........4812‘Sportsman’s Guide to Ladak, &c.’
”........4810”
”........4810”
”........4810”
Mr. A. O. Hume........47⅞9⅛Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Mr. Rowland Ward........47½10¼”
Mr. C. Hagenback........4711¾”
Mr. M. Kennard........4710½”
Mr. Manners Smith........4710”
Major Greenaway37½..........
Major FitzHerbert31504......(A female)
Sterndale, ‘Mammalia’about 44..........
Average of good head........4010
Capra ægagrus
Col. F. Marston........53..Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Mr. A. O. Hume........52⅜7⅞”
British Museum........48½8½Skull No. 652 Ost. Cat.
Mr. Danford33½65½included..47½9¾Sterndale’s ‘Mammalia’
Capt. Townley Parker........45¼9½Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
British Museum........44½8⅞”
Hume Collection, British Museum........44½8⅝”
Mr. J. Carr Saunders........43½9
Mr. A. O. Hume........43⅜8⅝Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Sir E. G. Loder, Bart.........439”
British Museum........439”
Capra Ibex (Tyrol)
British Museum (skull No. 650a Ost. Cat.), a doubtful specimen........43¾, 41¼10½
Sir E. G. Loder, Bart.........31¾9⅛Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Senckenberg Museum........30¼9(Cord, base to tip, 21¾ inches)
British Museum........27½8¼
Senckenberg Museum........249(Cord, base to tip, 16½ inches)
Capra sinaitica vel nubiana
British Museum........51¼7¼(Skull No. 651 Ost. Cat.)
”........468
Capt. Bartelott........42¼9¼Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’
Capt. W. H. Besant........41¾7⅝”
Capra Wali
Senckenberg Museum....249¾(Cord, base to tip, 17 inches)

Mr. Sclater gives two other varieties of ibex, Capra caucasica and Capra Wali. The Senckenberg Museum of Frankfort is believed to possess the only known specimens of this last type. Of it Dr. F. Richters, in charge of the Museum, says: ‘The horns of Capra Wali differ from those of Capra sibirica in the following points: the outer surface in Capra Wali is curved (smooth?), while in Capra sibirica it is corrugated. The under side of Capra Wali is sharper than in Capra sibirica. The inner side of Capra Wali has between every two knobs (on the top of the horn) five or six grooves, which correspond with a similar number of notches of equal depth on the under side. C. sibirica, on the other hand, has a fairly smooth inner surface, and on the under side has under every two knobs (on the top of the horn) a deep notch, and between every two deep notches a shallower one. The tip of C. sibirica is more curved than that of C. Wali. The horn of our specimen of wali has eight knobs on it, that of C. sibirica (horns 36¼ ins. in length, girth at base 9½ ins., cord from base to tip 22 ins.) 17 knobs.’ The specimen came from Abyssinia, and its photograph shows the peculiar knob at the base of the horn on the forehead, its absence of beard, and its small size in comparison to C. sibirica, which is photographed with it.

XXXIX. THER (Capra jemlaica)

Gurwhal, ‘Ther,’ female ‘Theri,’ ‘Tahr,’ or ‘Jhula,’ female ‘Tharni’; Chamba and Pangi, ‘Kart’; Cashmere, ‘Jagla’; Khistwar, ‘Kras’; Nepal, ‘Jharál’

Ther are found at high elevations, where the forest line begins to give way to the snow throughout the southern slopes of the Himalayas, from Cashmere to Bhutan. Its north-west limit appears to be where the Jhelum river separates the Kajnag from the Pir Punjal ranges; though fairly common in the latter, it is apparently unknown in the Kajnag, nor is it found in the ranges to the north of the Cashmere valley; from the Pir Punjal it extends south-eastwards through Kishtwar and Chamba, then leaving Lahoul and Spiti to the north on to the upper waters of the Jumna, Ganges, and Aleknanda rivers, and so by Nepal to Bhutan, being most plentiful perhaps in Chamba and Gurwhal.