582 The History o/* A N I M A L S.
vities have no communication with the eyes; the smell of the secreted matter is of amiddle kind, between that of mulk and castor, but the latter is prevalent.
The neck is short and thick 3 the body is thick, and the belly often hangs down alittle: the tail is short, and the legs are robust, but not long.
The colour of the whole animal is a deep grey ; it is almost black on the back, palerat the sides, and whitish at the belly: the hoofs are black, as are also the bottoms ofthe legs. Ray has described this species under the name of Capra fylvestris AfricanaGremmii.
Capra aurihus pendulis longijfmis. 3Zf)t
The Capra, with very long, pendulous ears.
This is of the size of the common goat, and greatly resembles it in form : the headis oblong, small, and obtuse, though slender at the snout: the nostrils are wide 3 theears are remarkably large 3 they are not only very long, but very broad, and do notstand erect, but are pendulous, in the manner of those of our hounds: the eyes arelarge and prominent 5 the horns are short, and have but one intortion 5 they are of adeep black, and sharp at the points: the body is thick and short 3 the legs are robust,and not long: the colour is a reddish-tawny, not unlike that of the fox.
The creature is a native of Syria , but it is sometimes brought over alive to us, andshewn among other beasts as a curiosity. Gesner first described it. He calls it CapraMambrina five Syriaca 3 Ray continues the same name.
O V I s.
T HE horns of the Ovis are hollow, bent backward, twisted, and rugose : thefore-teeth are eight 3 the hinder ones are narrower than the others, there are nocanine teeth.
The common sheep is an animal more remarkable for it’s use than beauty, though,when perfectly clean, it is not without it’s share of comeliness : the head is small, ob-long, and narrow at the snout 3 the eyes are large and prominent 3 the ears are patu-lous, and the horns of a twisted figure turning backwards, and they are not roundedbut flat, and annulated on the surface : the face is covered only with a short kind ofhair, as are also the legs, which are rather long than robust, but the whole body be-side is covered with a thick and deep wool, curled and twisted, and obscuring theshape of the body, and making it seem much thicker and clumsier than it really is,
The tail is short with us, in comparison of that extent to which it grows insome parts of Arabia, where it spreads into a vast breadth as well as length, and trailsafter the animal. Some have distinguished the sheep under this variety, by the nameof Ovis laticauda, as if a species different from the common kind 3 but this is an error,for the difference is no more than a variety.
This is of the bigness of the common sheep, and resembles it in form : the head isoblong, broad at the top, and very small at the nose 5 the eyes are large and promi-nent 5 the ears are patulous 3 the horns are not at all like those of our sheep ; they areshort, erect, and straight, large at the base, very sharp at the point, and elegantly
cochleated