146 



men to try to obtain a " 17-incher.'* Colonel Douglas Hamilton 

 considers 9 inches in circumference and 15 to 15^ or J in length, to 

 be the average of a large horn. Both he and I know of one 16 

 inches in length, shot by a well-known Southern Indian sports- 

 man, of the Madras Civil Service ; and in February 1869, (last 

 month), at Ootacamund, Jhe and I measured the horn of a magni- 

 ficent buck ibex, shot within 15 or 20 miles of that place. The 

 exact measurements of this mighty horn were 17 inches in length 

 and 9f in circumference at the base. This settles the question of 

 the "17 inches," mentioned by HAWKEYE. This head is well 

 worthy of a place in a museum, although unfortunately it is not 

 perfect ; for, as is often the case with ibex, one horn was broken 

 by the buck, on receiving the bullet, falling or jumping over the 

 cliff on the edge of which he was resting. The other horn, the one 

 we measured, is however perfect ; it will, I fear, never be equalled, 

 still less surpassed for the cruel neglect of all game preservation on 

 the very limited hunting grounds of the Neilgherries, is causing 

 the ibex rapidly to disappear. Not only, " is it difficult now" 

 (vide page 289 of Jerdon,) " to get a near shot at them," but, a& I 

 can vouch, from personal experience within the last few months, a 

 man no matter how cautious and scientific be his plan of operatioDS, 

 how velvet footed his tread, or how keen his eyesight, may traverse 

 those glorious mountain ridges for days together without seeing 

 an ibex. 



Jerdon says that, he has " seen above twenty individuals in a 

 " flock occasionally, but more generally not more than six or seven," 

 page 289 of his book. They are however sometimes to be met 

 with in large flocks, therefore as I knew that Colonel Douglas 

 Hamilton had counted some of these, I applied to him for information 

 on the subject. Here is his reply : " The largest flocks of ibex 

 " I have ever met with were on the high ranges of the Annanmllays. 

 " I once counted 120 pass out of one valley, but I think that there 

 " were probably two or three herds collected there. I never had a 

 " fair opportunity of counting a herd on those ranges, but I am 

 " pretty certain that many of the large herds were from 60 to 80 in 

 " number. On the Kondahs, I once was able to count a herd, and 



