, 1890-08-03
O THE MOUFFLON.
A FEW NOTES UPON A CURIOUS
GUEST OF KEEPER HOLMES.

The Mounion Has Large Horns TO he
Used as Air cushdons-He Can SEQ the
Appears Red to His Gentle
Eye-severaI Theories of Mr.. Holmes.
The keepers in the Central park me
nagerie are all men Of considerable intel
~ligence, and many of them hold valuable
and entertaining theories regarding the
animals under their charge. 1t is not
easy for an outsider to learn what these
theories are, but they come out gradual
ly on better acquaintance. They are
usually the result Of long experience
worked upon by a bold imagination.
Keeper Holmes. who has looked after
deer and camels for about twenty-six
years, p~ropounds some Of the most val
liable of these theories.
There are in the deer house n male and
a female Sandman moufioa. BY the
way, the keepers do not speaA Of a male
or a female animal, but Of a lady or a
gentleman animal. For instance, they
say That's a lady hippopotamus." or
That's a gentleman hippopotamus."
One Friday the lady mouf1on present
ed her gentleman with a new small
moufion of the male sex.
The baby moufion was seen by the
writer soon after his appearance in this
world. he is well cared for by his mother.
BE is very small and very plump. His
mother Is an extremely affectionate ami
NAL, and puts a warm, dampnose against
the hand of anybody who puts it within
her cage.
Tho rnOnfHOr 30 fba a1h,ao4 80 -1
Keeper Holmes theories. The animal is
Corsican moufflon, or the muffle, and
scientifically the owls musimon. Tt is a
sheep, and one Of the many varieties Of
wild sheep.
HOW TIL ANIMAL APPEARS.
The specimens in Central park stand a
little more than two feet high and are
very gracefully formed. They have not
the goatlike tuft under the chin pos
sessed by some wild sheep.
The mouflon is found in the noun
tains Of Sardinia, Corsica, Southern
Spain, European Turkey and in various
Mediterranean islands. 1t closely resem-
bles the Rocky mountain wild sheep, but
il prettier. nW~FNT IN =
The mouflon has wool and hair like
any other sheep. The wool comes next
to the skin and the hair outside thewool.
As everybody should know the great
difference between wild and domesti-
Gated sheep is that the former have more
hair and less wool, and the latter less
hair and more wool. The wool Is devel-
oped and the hair decreases after doines-
tication. 0U-
The moufdon's wool Is of a yellowish
white and his hair of a light chestnut
color. 1t is gray on the muzzie. the abb
domen and the inner side of the thighs,
and white on the under Eide of the tell.
The hair crows thinner in ummer. 4.
The mouflon has a very bnmpy;f fore
head just over the eyes. Its head is
long and intelligent looking. Its muzzle
is compressed.
The gentleman moufion has immense,
hollow horns. They are triangular.
They bend backward in o ~semicircle,
and take another small twist before they
come to points. The bases of the horns
occupy almost the entire forehead above
the bumpy part mentioned, :
There Is something very interesting
connected with these horns. The mouflon
is one of the most difficult animals to
shoot or catch. He is very tinid, very
swift, and can take refuge in. places in
accessible to man His horns serve him
for defense very seldom, however, and
principally asa mean Of escape.
u. TRUSTS TO HIS HORNS.
The moufIlon can see the wind or the
scent of n man coming-in what way
viii be explained later. 1t is his custom
to stand on the edge of n precipice and
watch the approaching wind or foe.
When he thinks it time to get out of the
way he takes a dive; apparently to his
inevitable destruction. AS n matter of
fact, he alights on his immense horns,
which causes him TO bounce off theground
a few feet into the air. Then he alights
comfortably on his feet.
One veracious sportsman relates that
he had got within easy shooting distance
of a mouffion when the animal took his
customary dive. Great was the sports
mans surprise when, after a few min
utes, he saw the mouflon reappear on
the spot whence he had dived. .
In his fear the moufflon had taken such
a hard dive hat he bounded back to ex-
actly the place which he had left Then.
the sportsman shot him easily, of course.
The mouffion has u remarkably fine and
large blue eye. 1t is with this that Keeper
Holmes theory is connected.
Tho ayes are situated at the side of the
head, and, not unnaturally, are very
wide apart. Tho animal can look in
front, to the side and behind without
moving his head. OF this there is no
possible doubt whatever.
Keeper Holmes says that the mouflon
can see the wind, which has a red color
TO him and varies in redness according
to its velocity. Thefact that he is afraid
of anything red goes to prove this. All
animals, says Mr.. Holmes, which can see
the wind are timid, and 80 should we be
II we could do so. Can it be that this
Theory would account for the mental
distress of gentlemen who see things
which others cannot? The moufion, 40
cording to Mr.. Holmes, can see other
sights and smell other smells of which
we are entirely unconscious.
1t should be said that he is borne out
more or less in his theory by scientists.
Sir John Lubbock has recently found
out that his ants are conscious of several
colors unknown to men. The Same thing
is true of many other animals in regard
to smells.-New York Evening Sun.