210 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



in the mountains of the hinterland of the northern 

 part of the continent, from Egypt to Morocco, it is a 

 desert-loving species, choosing for its habitat even 

 the barren, treeless ranges of the Sahara, where little 

 vegetation exists. It affords very good hill stalking, 

 and from its invisible colour, which blends wonder- 

 fully with its surroundings, is very difficult to make 

 out, except by the lynx-eyed Arabs. The colouring 

 is a reddish-grey, tinged with yellow, and from the 

 throat to the forelegs, which themselves are heavily 

 covered with hair, a long shaggy beard extends. 

 The face is very ovine, but the general appearance 

 of the animal reminds one strongly of the Tahr of the 

 Himalayas. The horns measure, in good specimens, 

 from 25 to 33 inches over the curve. This wild 

 sheep is usually to be met with in small families 

 consisting of ram, ewe, and two or three or even 

 more young animals. A good ram stands from 3 

 feet 3 inches to 3 feet 6 inches at the shoulder, and 

 is a wonderfully heavy and robust-looking beast. 



THE IBEXES 



Two wild goats are found in North and East 

 Africa, the Arabian Ibex (Capra nubiana] and the 

 Abyssinian Ibex (Capra vali}. Of these the former 

 species is met with in the mountains of Upper Egypt, 

 and, it is believed, also in other ranges of Morocco 

 and Senegambia. The horns are very fine, long and 

 slender, with a bold backward curve. The best 

 specimens yet recorded measure 46^ and 5 1 inches, 



