Apennine Chamois 183 



it seems probable that they cannot stand upon such a small superficies as 

 the latter. Nevertheless their activity and sure-footedness are little short 

 of marvellous ; and the better to enable them to secure a firm fioothold, the 

 outer edges of the hoofs are markedly higher than the central portion. 



THE APENNINE CHAMOIS 

 {Rup!cap?'a tragus ornatci) 



This local race of the chamois was described in 1899 by Dr. Oscar 

 Neumann ^ as a distinct species, under the name of Kupicapra ornata. It is 

 typified by a male specimen in the Genoa Museum from the Abruzzi, and 

 is specially characterised by the brightness and brilliancy of its coloration, 

 which is described as follows by Dr. Neumann : — 



The sides of the head are brown, the pale fawn-coloured patch on the 

 nose and forehead ends superiorly in a sharply defined oval, and the pale 

 streak above the eye so conspicuous in the Alpine chamois is wanting. 

 The chin and cheeks are of the same isabelline fawn as the forehead, and 

 this colour extends down the front of the neck to terminate in a point on 

 the chest. The crown of the head behind the horns is likewise of the 

 same isabelline tint, as are the nape of the neck and shoulders. Externally 

 the ears are dark brown ; this colour being continued as a widening streak 

 down the sides of the neck to the chest so as to divide the isabelline area 

 of the cheeks and fore part of the neck from that of the nape and shoulders. 

 This is, perhaps, the most distinctive and characteristic feature of this race. 

 The lower portion of the chest, as well as the limbs, are of the same 

 general colour as in the Alpine chamois, although less distinctly reddish, 

 the hue being something between sepia and greyish brown. The whole 

 of the rest of the body is of a much brighter brown, partly tending to 

 isabelline tawn, than in the Alpine form, the rump being bright isabelline 



' Ann. Mus. Genova, ser. 2, vol. xx. p. 347. 



