THE IBEX. 45 



These animals, from extreme familiarity, will sometimes be- 

 come troublesome. BufFon relates, that in 1698, an English 

 ship, having gone into a harbour in the island of Bonavista, two 

 negroes went on board, and offered the captain as many goats as 

 he chose to carry away. He expressed his surprise at this offer, 

 when the negroes informed him that there were only twelve per- 

 sons on the island, and that the goats had become so numerous, 

 as to be extremely troublesome; for, instead of being difficult to 

 catch, they followed them about with an unpleasant degree of 

 obstinacy, like other domestic animals. 



In many of the mountainous parts of Europe, goats constitute 

 the principal wealth of the inhabitants, and supply them with 

 many of the necessaries and conveniencies of life. They lie 

 upon beds made of their skins : they live upon their rnilk without 

 bread, and make from it both butter and cheese. The flesh of 

 the kid is esteemed a rarity, and considered as little inferior to 

 venison. From these considerations, it appears that the goat, 

 although superseded in this country by the sheep, is a quadruped 

 of very considerable value. We may also add, that being ex- 

 tremely sensible of attention, and grateful for kindness, it soon 

 becomes attached to man. But it is a short-lived animal, full of 

 ardour, but soon exhausted. It generally produces two, or 

 sometimes three, young at a time ; but in warm climates, it is 

 more prolific. 



THE IBEX, 



According to M. Buffon, is the parent stock from which our 

 domestic goat is descended; and, indeed, the former is very 

 similar to the latter in the shape of its body, but differs consider- 

 ably from it in the shape of its horns, which are much larger. 

 The ibex frequents the most elevated parts of the Alps, in the 

 Vallois, and the country of the Grisons : it is also found in the 

 mountains of Crete. It is extremely wild, and the chase of it 

 exceedingly dangerous, as it always keeps upon the highest 

 points of the rocks, and being very strong, frequently turns upon 

 the huntsman, and hurls him headlong down the precipice. If 

 will mount a perpendicular rock of fifteen feet, at three leaps, or 

 rather at three successive bounds of five feet each. It does not 

 appear to find any footing on the rock, but seems to touch it 

 merely to be repelled, like an elastic substance striking a hard 

 body. In the last extremity, this active and intrepid animal can 

 throw itself from the tops of the highest rocks, and escape 

 unhurt. 



The colour of the ibex is generally a dark brown, intermixed 

 with a little grey ; a streak often runs along the top of its back ; 

 the belly and thighs are of a delicate fawn colour. 



