836 THE UNGULATES, OR HOOFED MAMMALS 



The pairing season is in January, and the kids are born at the end of June or 

 beginning of July. The habits of this species are practically identical with those of 



the Himalayan ibex. 



The Himalayan ibex (C. sibirica) differs from the Alpine species by 

 Himalayan thg presence of a pro fuse beard on the chin of the bucks, and a ridge 

 of coarse dark hair along the back, as well as by its superior size and 

 longer horns. The hair is coarse and brittle; and in winter is underlaid by a thick 

 coat of wool, or pashm, which enables the animal to withstand the intense cold of 

 its native mountains. The horns of the bucks have very large knobs, placed at 

 fairly regular intervals; and it may be observed here that these knobs do not indi- 

 cate the annual stages of growth, which are marked by fine lines on the sides of the 

 horns. In color the Himalayan ibex is subject to a considerable amount of seasonal 

 and local variation. Generally, however, in summer the color is brown, only 

 slightly paler above than below; but old males have some dirty white patches on 

 the back. On the other hand, in winter the coat assumes a yellowish white hue, 

 more or less tinged with brown or gray. The dark line on the back has been al- 

 ready mentioned, and in addition to this the beard, tail, and legs are also dark 

 brown. In Baltistan very dark-colored ibex are met with; and specimens from Si- 

 beria and the Thian-Shan range are distinguished by having the under surface of 

 the hinder part of the body and portions of the legs entirely white. 



A well-grown buck of the Himalayan ibex will stand about forty inches at the 

 shoulder; while does are about a third smaller. Fine specimens of the horns meas- 

 ure from forty to forty-five inches along the curve; but a pair have been recorded 

 measuring upward of fifty-four inches in length, with a girth of eleven and one-half 

 inches just above the first knob; and there are several of fifty-one inches, or a little 

 over, in existence. 



Assuming the ibex of the Himalayas to be identical with the one 

 inhabiting the Thian-Shan range and Siberia, the species has a very 

 extensive geographical range. Thus it is found in all the mountain ranges of Cen- 

 tral Asia, from the Himalayas to the Altai, and from the neighborhood of Herat, on 

 the Persian frontier, in the northwest, to Kumaon in the southeast. It is found 

 not only on the crags but likewise in the open Pamir country. To the south of the 

 valley of Kashmir the ibex is unknown in the Pir-Panjal range, and its continua- 

 tion to the northwest of the Jhelutn river, the Kajnag; but it is not known to occur 

 in the Himalayas to the eastward of the sources of the Ganges, neither is it recorded 

 from Eastern Tibet. Messrs. Blanford and Hodgson have, however, reason to be- 

 lieve that it occurs in Tibet to the northward of Shikatze, on the San-Poo river, and 

 also near L,' Hassa. 



Habits "^ ke * tS -^P* ne cous i n > tne Himalayan ibex inhabits the crags and 



upland meadows at or near the snow level, rising or descending 

 .according to the season of the year. General Macintyre writes of the habits of 

 this species in the following words: " From what I have seen and heard of ibex, 

 their sense of smell is not nearly so acute as their sight. But they seldom ap- 

 prehend danger from above, so it is best to approach them, if possible, from that 

 direction. During the spring and early summer they may be seen feeding at 



