THE ROCK GOAT, OR IBEX. 105 



and compressed, and a little arched. The eyes are large and round, 

 and have much fire and brilliancy. The horns are large, when of 

 a full size, weighing sometimes sixteen or eighteen pounds, flatted 

 before and rounded behind, with one or two longitudinal ridges, 

 and many transverse ridges, which degenerate towards the tip into 

 knobs. The colour is dusky brown ; the beard long, tawny, or 

 dusky ; the legs slender, with hoofs short, hollow on the inside, and 

 on the outside terminated by a salient border, like those of the cha- 

 mois. The body is short, thick and strong ; the tail short, naked 

 underneath, the rest covered with long hairs, white at the base and 

 sides, black above and at the end. The coat is long, but not pen- 

 dent, ash coloured, mixed with some hoary hairs. A black list 

 runs along the back, and there is a black spot above and below the 

 knees. Its color, however, like that of other animals, must neces- 

 sarily vary according to its age, and to local circumstance?. 



The female is one-third less than the male, and not so corpulent : 

 her color is less tawny ; and her horns are not above eight inches 

 long. 



In a state of tranquillity, the rock goat commonly carries the head 

 low ; but in running it holds it high, and even bends it a little for- 

 ward. It mounts a perpendicular rock of fifteen feet at three leaps, 

 or rather three successive leaps, or three successive bounds of five 

 feet each. It does not seem as if he found any footing on the rock, 

 appearing to touch it merely to be repelled, like an elastic sub- 

 stance striking against a hard body. If he is between two rocks 

 which are near each other, and wants to reach the top, he leaps 

 from the side of one rock to the other alternately,' till he has obtain- 

 ed the summit. He also traverses the glaciers with rapidity when 

 he is pursued. 



The Bouquetins feed, during the night, in the highest woods ; 

 but the sun no sooner begins to gild the summits, than they quit 

 the woody region, and mount, feeding in their progress, till they 

 have reached the most considerable heights. They betake them- 

 selves to the sides of the mountains which face the east or south, 

 and lie down in the highest places and hottest exposures ; but when 

 the sun has finished more than three quarters of its course, they 

 again begin to feed, and to descend towards the woods ; whither 

 they retire when it is likely to snow, and where they always pass 

 the winter. The Bouquetins assemble in flocks, consisting at most 

 of ten, twelve, or fifteen; but more usually in smaller numbers. 

 The males which are six years old and upwards, haunt more ele- 

 vated places than the females and the younger Bouquetins ; and as 

 they advance in age, they are less fond of society, and frequently 

 live entirely alone. Having their fore legs somewhat shorter than 

 the hind legs, they naturally ascend with greater facility than they 

 descend ; for this reason, nothing but the severest weather can en- 

 gage them to come down into the lower regions ; and even in win- 

 ter, if there are a few fine days, they leave the woods and mount 

 higher. These facts were not unobserved by the Psalmist, as we 

 ee from one of the passages above cited. 



