CHAPTER VII 



The Pyreneers after Izards, Bears, and Bouquetin. 

 AGE 35. 



FROM HIS JOURNAL. 



VALLE D'ARRAS, 1 

 Tuesday, 2 1 st May 1878. 



I LEFT Torla with Antoine and Celestin at five, and 

 went to try and stalk on Turbon, where Antoine said 

 there was a very fine old bouquetin. Found fresh 

 tracks of a female in the pine wood, but could not 

 follow it. We went on to the top of a limestone 

 mamelon, where we spied for two hours ; then went 

 down and lunched near the stream below. Afterwards 

 stalked all the precipitous sides of Turbon, where I 

 was much assisted in passing some nasty places by 

 a prickly herb of great strength which grows all over 

 the hillsides in these parts. Came on a track of a 

 bouquetin, and followed up to the rocks and lost it. 

 Spied three izards, and tried to stalk them, but failed. 

 On our way down a gorge to the main path about 

 6 P.M., when we thought our last chance was over, 

 Antoine heard the whistle of an izard in the wood 

 on the opposite side of the gorge. I squatted on 

 the little path and got ready. There was another 

 whistle, and the next moment a magnificent old soli- 



1 This valley is on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees. 



