270 Goats 



6. The Abyssinian Ibex — Capra vali 



Capra UHilh\ Riippell, Ncue Wirbclthicre Abyssin. — Siiiigeth. vol. i. p. i 6, 

 pi. vi. (1835) ; P- L. Sclater, Proc. Zoo/. Soc. 1886, p. 316. 



Capra valie, Sundevall, K. Svcnska Vet. Akad. Handl. tor 1844, p. 95 

 (1846); Gray, Kmix'sley Menagerie, p. 32 (1850), Cat. Uiigii/ata Brit. 

 Mas. p. 152 (1852). 



Capra wa/i, Richters, Big Game Shooting (Badminton Library), vol. ii. 

 p. 325 (1894). 



Characters. — Distinguished from the other species of ibex bv the presence 

 of a bony prominence on the forehead ; the horns being ot the general 

 type of those of C. sihirica, but the beard small and rudimentarv, as in the 

 Alpine species. 



Dr. Richters, of the Frankfort Museum, as quoted bv Col. Percy 

 in the volumes of the Badminton Library on big game shooting, writes as 

 follows of this ibex : — " The horns of Capra %i-a/i differ from those of C. 

 sibirica in the following points ; the outer surtace in li-ali is curved, 

 while in sibirica it is corrugated ; the under side in ica/i being sharper 

 than in sibirica. The inner side in iva/i 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 sibirica is more curved than that of iva/i. The horn of 

 our specimen of icali has eight knobs on it, that of sibirica (horns i^6\ 

 inches in length, girth or base 9^ inches, cord from base to tip 22 

 inches) 17 knobs." 



This species, which is represented only by specimens preserved in the 



