VARIETIES OF IBEX. Ill 



become so stupefied with terror that they are then easily 

 approached and shot. 



I asked old Eamzan if the popular legend about ibex 

 leaping down from great heights and alighting on their 

 horns was current in those mountains, and was much 

 struck with the intelligence of his reply. He said that 

 ibex, when hard pressed, would sometimes jump down 

 almost incredible distances, and on their fore feet touch- 

 ing the ground, their horns, from their great weight, were 

 thrown forward, causing them to appear as if the animals 

 had intentionally alighted on them. This, .he thought, 

 might perhaps have given rise to the idea. 



Although ibex are so numerous, finding old bucks is often 

 very chance work. Sometimes the sportsman may have to 

 toil away for many days, or even weeks, without getting a 

 shot at them. But if he is in luck, he may knock over 

 four or five fine old fellows in as many days. The Hima- 

 layan ibex is tolerably plentiful in certain localities as far 

 east as the province of Spiti, but is not found eastward of 

 the river Sutlej. 



Another variety of ibex (Capra caucasica), which I have 

 never seen, inhabits some of the mountains of Western 

 India, in Scind, but I am told it is very similar to the ibex 

 of Western Asia, the horns of which are slighter and less 

 closely knotted than those of the Himalayan kind ; and the 

 so-called ibex of the Neilgherry hills in Madras (Hemitragus 

 hylocrius) appears to be totally different from both the 

 above, with short horns more resembling those of the tahr. 



But to return to the pursuit of the animal. The day 

 after our disappointment with the big buck was devoted to 

 hunting over another spur of the range, but nothing was 

 seen except a couple of does. We had tasted no venison 

 since entering Wurdwan, so I resolved to try for one of 

 them to supply meat for camp use. As the stalk was 

 rather long and difficult, the trouble it cost us to get a 

 shot was hardly repaid by the flesh, which at that season 



