GOAT. 



647 



soft ; and their general expression is slightly that of 

 the sheep. Their ears are large and of a buff colour; 

 and the horns are upright in the males, but smaller 

 and bending downwards in the females. The Syrian 

 goat (see the cut on page 64:3) also has the hair long, 

 but not so fine as that of the Angora goat. The 

 Egyptian goat more resembles the goats of Europe 

 (see cut, page 645). All these varieties have small 

 horns. Some of the goats farther to the east have 

 the horns much larger, as the Jemlah goat (see page 

 644). 



The other members of this genus, which may be 

 considered as differing in certain respects from the 

 goats of common language, and partaking in part of 

 the characters of the antelopes, are those to which 

 the general name of Ibex has been given, but which 

 has been qualified with different names in the species 

 or varieties which are found in different parts of the 

 world. Of these, one at least is European, one African, 

 and one Asiatic ; though the African one is met with 

 in some of the adjoining parts of Asia, as for instance 

 in Arabia. They are all mountaineers, and inhabit 

 fully as high as those species of which the wild goat 

 is considered as the stock and type ; but they are less 

 numerous in individuals than the goats, if we include 

 the domesticated varieties along with the wild ones. 



THE IBEX (C. Ibex). This animal is found, though 

 rarely, in the Alps, still more rarely in the Pyrenees, 

 and, "as it is understood, in some other mountainous 

 parts of Europe and Asia. The male has considera- 

 ble resemblance to the goat, but has the head smaller 

 in proportion, though the whole body is larger. The 

 eyes of this species are large, round, and brilliant, 

 and even fiery in their expression. The length of 

 the full-grown male is about five feet, the height at 

 the shoulder about two feet eight inches, and that at 

 the rump about two feet ten inches. The horns are 

 Hut, with longitudinal ridges on the sides, and trans- 

 verse furrows across ; they incline backwards and 

 outwards. It has been said that the transverse ridges 

 of the horns mark the age of the animal, but the fact 

 is not absolutely made out. When young, the ibex 

 is light greyish ash, but the colour deepens when it 

 comes to maturity ; and it is then brownish in sum- 

 mer, and greyish in winter. Those animals have but 

 little beard, not much dewlap on the throat ; and their 

 hair is at no time long and shaggy, but resembles 

 that of the deer more than the goats. The dorsal 

 line on the back is darker coloured than the rest of 

 the covering, with the exception of the face, part of 

 which is nearly black ; the ears are small and erect ; 

 and the whole air of the animal is lively and vigorous. 

 The ibex being esteemed a valuable prize by the 

 Alpine hunters, has been almost exterminated on the 

 Pyrenees ; and it is comparatively rare on the Alps, 

 except in some of the more elevated places of the 

 Tyrol. The female when full grown has the horns 

 about as large as those of a three year old male ; and 

 the prevailing colour is brown. The rutting season 

 is in autumn, at which time the scent of the males is 

 peculiarly strong. The sexes remain in company during 

 the winter ; but, as the spring advances, the females 

 retire to the cover of the Alpine thickets, where they 

 produce their kids. This takes place about April or 

 May, and the young are very active, and carefully 

 guarded by their mother. 



The hoofs of the ibex are very firm in their texture, 

 and are furnished with a sharp margin, like those in 

 the chamois. The animals are very expert in leaping, 



and the time between the leaps is so short that the 

 animal resembles an elastic substance taking various 

 bounds from mere elasticity, instead of an animal 

 which has to renew its effort every time it touches 

 the earth. When pursued they take to the glaciers, 

 along which they can bound with great rapidity, and 

 clear chasms of a good many feet, though in general 

 they do not resort to such surfaces, as they furnish no 

 food. They are gregarious, though the flocks seldom 

 exceed a dozen, and rarely amount to so many, even 

 in those places where the remains of the race are sup- 

 posed to be most abundant. During the night, in 

 stormy weather, and generally speaking in the winter, 

 they resort to such woods and copses as are found in 

 elevated places ; and it is understood that they sub- 

 sist, in part at least, upon twigs and bark, and even 

 upon lichens. In fine weather they resort more to 

 the open places, and are more scattered. The months 

 of August and September are those in which they are 

 in finest condition, and most earnestly sought after by 

 the hunters. The flesh of the old ones is inferior to 

 venison, but superior to that of full-grown goats ; and 

 that of the young is peculiarly fine. Altogether the 

 ibex is an interesting animal, and it is not the less so 

 from being found only in the most wild and inacces- 

 sible places, and being sought for at the very extreme 

 of peril to the hunter. One almost regrets the success 

 of ibex hunters, notwithstanding their boldness, and 

 the hazards to which they expose themselves ; fur 

 the animals are too fine for being upon the verge of 

 extirpation. 



THE IBEX OF CAUCASUS (C. Caucasica) inhabits the 

 mountains after which it is named ; and though it, 

 upon the whole, has a considerable resemblance to 

 the ibex of the Alps, there are differences between 

 them. This species is broader and shorter in the 

 body ; of a darker brown colour on the upper part, 

 and whiter on the under. The head is generally 

 greyish, but with a black space round the mouth. 

 The chin and upper part of the throat are whitish 

 grey, but the breast is black, as is the dorsal line. 

 The fronts of the legs are black, and there is a whitish 

 streak on them behind ; the horns are nearly two feet 

 and a half in length, of a dark brown colour, and very 

 solid. The hair, though not so much produced, is 

 hard and rough, and thickly interspersed with grey 

 wool among the roots. The females are smaller, and 

 have their horns less ; and in the male they are not 

 so much roughened by transverse furrows arid ridges 

 as in the common ibex. The characters of the two 

 species are very similar, and indeed it is doubtful 

 whether this be not the more energetic animal of the 

 two. Hitherto it has been observed only in the ele- 

 vated parts of the Caucasus, but it is highly probable 

 that it may exist in some of the other elevated moun- 

 tains of central Asia. 



THE IBEX OF ABYSSINIA (C. Jaela). This species, 

 which appears to have been known to some of the 

 ancients, and which is mentioned by some of the 

 Jewish and Arabian writers, differs more from the 

 two formerly mentioned species of ibex than they do 

 from each other. It stands higher on the legs ; and 

 the hair on the greater part of the body is shorter 

 and closer. The general colour is dun ; and there is 

 little beard on the chin of the male ; but the throat 

 and upper parts of the fore legs are furnished with 

 long hair. The backs and fronts of the legs are marked 

 with short and dark lines. The ears are very small, 

 the forehead is rounded, the horns are larger than 



