144 



not know any better word by which to express my feelings regard- 

 ing them] cliffs on the edges of the mountains of Southern India ; 

 that in despair of being able to give a good idea of it, I shall first 

 extract Jerdon's description in full and then gome notes which 

 have been most kindly given to me by my friend Colonel Douglas 

 Hamilton, a mighty hunter, who has had, and what is more to the 

 purpose has not neglected, most excellent opportunities of furnish- 

 ing a correct account of the animal. 



At page 288 of his book, Jerdon gives the following description 

 of the ibex of our Southern Indian sportsmen, or, as he calls it, the 

 Neilgherry wild-goat. It will be seen that this is pretty nearly 

 corroborated by Colonel Hamilton. Jerdon writes, that the " Adult 

 " male is dark sepia-brown with a pale reddish-brown saddle, more 

 " or less marked, and paler brown on the sides and beneath ; legs 

 " somewhat grizzled with white, dark-brown in front and paler 

 " posteriorly. The head is dark, grizzled with yellowish-brown, and 

 " the eye is surrounded by a pale fawn -colored spot. Horns short, 

 " much curved, nearly in contact at the base, gradually diverging ; 

 " strongly keeled internally, round externally, with numerous close 

 " rings, not so prominent as in the last species.* There is a large 

 " callous spot on the knees surrounded by a fringe of hair, and the 

 " male has a short stiff mane on the neck and withers. The hair 

 " is short, thick and coarse." 



Regarding this, Colonel Hamilton says : " I think Jerdon's des- 

 " cription is good, but I should call the saddles of the old males 

 " grizzled with white and not pale reddish brown. A real old 

 " " saddle back" has a white saddle and almost jet black points. 

 " He makes a mistake about the length of the tail, " 6 or 7 inches" 

 11 it is not more than three inches." 



Jerdon certainly does not do full justice to the size of the Neil- 

 gherry ibex when, at page 288, he gives the dimensions aa 

 follows : 



" Length of adult to root of tail, 4 feet 2 to 4 feet 8 ; tail, 6 or 7 ; 

 " height at shoulder about 32 to 34 inches ; horns occasionally 15 



* The tabir, or jharal of Himalayan sportsmen, "Hemitragua jemlaicus" 

 Jerdon, No. 232, page 286. VAGBANT. 



