ARTIODACTYLES 



107 



short whistle, whereupon the whole herd takes to flight. The chamois 

 is a skilled and fearless climber and a bold and sure jumper, scaling 

 rocks which are inaccessible to man as if carried on wings. Ledges no 

 broader than a man's hand are a sufficient foothold. It can spring up 

 vertical walls of rock as high as 13 feet with the same ease as it leaps 

 across chasms 24 feet in breadth. When hard pressed it will climb 

 down the steepest cliffs by planting its legs far forwards, and does not 



CHAMOIS. (One-sixteenth natural size.) 



shrink from a leap over a precipice. For the execution of such wonderful 

 feats the animal is adapted by its short, thick-set body, its long, strong 

 legs, and its thick hoofs, which can be spread widely apart, and are also 

 hollow and provided with sharp cutting edges. The horns, which are 

 curved backwards and very pointed, furnish both male and female with 

 useful weapons of defence. The brown and thin summer coat gives place 

 in the autumn to a winter growth of lighter, thicker, longer hair. The 



