THE CHAMOIS 853 



than the central portion, and are thus adapted for securing a firm foothold 

 on rocks. 



The chamois has a wide distribution in the mountains of Europe, 

 occurring in the Pyrenees (where it is known as the izard), the moun- 

 tains of the coast of Spain, in Dalmatia and Greece, in the Carpathians, the Swiss 

 and Transylvanian Alps, the Caucasus, the Taurus range, and in the mountains of 

 Georgia. The Pyrenean izard is a smaller form, with shorter horns and a more 

 foxy-red color than the typical Alpine gems; and the variety found in the Caucasus, 

 where it is known as atchi, has also certain distinctive differences. Neither of these 

 can, however, be regarded as more than local races. At the present day the chamois 

 has become rare in the Swiss Alps, but in the Eastern Alps, in the districts of Ba- 

 varia, Salzburg, Styria, and Carinthia, it is far more common, while it is abundant 

 on the precipitous summits of the central Carpathians. Fossil remains of the cham- 

 ois are found in caverns at low elevations in several parts of the European conti- 

 nent, thus indicating very different climatic conditions from those now prevailing. 

 As regards its habits, the general notion is that the chamois is an 

 essentially Alpine animal; that is, one frequenting the glaciers and 

 snowy peaks above the forest level. This, however, according to Brehm, is a mis- 

 taken idea; the truth being that the chamois is really a forest-dwelling animal, and 

 that most individuals of the species live from year's end to year's end within the 

 limits of the forest. A certain number during the summer always leave, however, 

 the main flock, to take up their abode for a period of weeks or months among the 

 glaciers and snow fields above the upper limits of forests. These adventurous indi- 

 viduals are known to the hunters as glacier-chamois, in contradistinction to wood- 

 chamois; but a short spell of severe weather is sufficient to drive even these back to 

 the shelter of the forests. The favorite haunts of the chamois are the western and 

 northwestern slopes of the Alps in summer; while in the winter they prefer the spots 

 with an easterly or southerly aspect. 



Chamois are essentially gregarious animals, usually associating together in 

 herds of fifteen or twenty individuals. They repose during the night, but with the 

 first glimmer of dawn commence feeding; towards the middle of the day they again 

 seek the shelter of rocks or trees, where they lie in the shade till evening, when they 

 once more issue forth to feed. 



Their chief nutriment consists of lichens and the scanty mountain herbage. 

 During the greater part of the year the old males live a solitary life apart from the 

 flocks; but during the pairing season in October and November they join the flocks 

 of females, from which they drive away the young bucks. During this period the 

 old bucks engage in fierce contests among themselves, which occasionally terminate 

 fatally. 



The young, generally one, but occasionally two in number, are born in May or 

 June, after a gestation of about twenty-eight weeks, and are clothed with a thick, 

 woolly coat of a reddish color. When but a day old they are able to follow their 

 dams almost anywhere; and in three months first show their horns. In three years 

 they attain their full size; and it is stated that the span of life of a chamois will ex- 

 tend from twenty to twenty-five years, although this requires confirmation. 



