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Show 144 MR. E. WARD ON A NEW SHEEP. [Feb. 17, presented by Captain Strachey," as also of the specimen marked "3778 A," presented by Dr. Sclater, April 1868 (a figure of which appears in this Society's Proceedings for 1860, p. 127), that these specimens differ from O. brookei still more than the large specimen of 0. vignei which I now exhibit. Fig. 2. Horns of Ovis brookei. In all the specimens Sir Victor Brooke and I have examined, we found that the suborbital fossse in this species (O. brookei) are not nearly so deep or suddenly tucked in below the orbits as in O. vignei and O. cycloceros, as a glance at the skulls of these species which I exhibit will show. In this respect Ovis brookei more closely resembles Ovis ammon and 0. arkar. Again, the orbits also project much less, and the width of the parts below the orbits is greater in comparison to the length of the skull, in the new species than in either of the above. Likewise the greatly increased length of face gives altogether a very different outline, especially when viewed from the front. Thus the new species shows generally a greater affinity to O. ammon of the Himalayas (or Ovis hodgsoni, as I believe it is now designated) than to any other form. And it may be said that in O. brookei the horns are not only more graceful, but also more largely and boldly ribbed and figured than even those of its gigantic and near ally; the length of the row of molar teeth also far exceeds the length of those of O. vignei. Sir Victor Brooke, who is now visiting the chief museums of the continent of Europe, will, it is to be hoped, on his return to England, be enabled to favour us with further information concerning the species of Ovis. |