422 ALPINE EUROPE 



and not the sportsman who is its most dangerous enemy ; and the destruction of 

 chamois by other animals is small in proportion to that wrought by the men who 

 shoot it out of season. In the vast forests of the Bukowina and Transylvania, the 

 chamois is pursued by the bear, which springs upon it suddenly from its lui'king 

 place. Wherever wolves exist they unite in packs to hunt chamois, generally 

 capturing the kids. In the Carpathians the lynx lurks in the grass and under- 

 growth to leap upon them, while the wild cat attacks the young and feeble. The 

 fox also preys upon the old or sick. In the Carpathians, Transylvania, and the 

 Pyrenees the lammergeier not only carries off the kids but endeavours to drive the 

 does over precipices, the golden eagle also acting in the same way. The kids form 

 the prey of owls and ravens ; and occasionally a chamois is killed by a poisonous 

 snake. In hard winters food is so scarce that chamois begin the spring in a 

 famished condition, and so greedily attack the young blades of grass that they 

 die from surfeit ; while others perish from devouring poisonous plants, especially 

 hellebore. In captivity the greatest care has to be taken in the choice of food : 

 well-fed chamois make charming pets, though they are only tameable when 

 caught young. The kids generally perish under injudicious treatment, but 

 occasionally are successfully reared. If carefully nursed they are generally healthy 

 animals, and become good friends with men and dogs, although never agreeing 

 with sheep. When in captivity the chamois retains its characteristics; the kids 

 are amusing, the does trustful, while even the bucks are generally tame, although in 

 some cases they get mischievous and bad-tempered. 



Chamois range from the Pyrenees where they are known as the izard, to the 

 Caucasus where they are called atchi ; and these local representatives of the 

 species constitute distinct races, one of which is peculiar to the Abruzzi. Of late 

 years the numbers of the chamois, especially in Austria, have increased consider- 

 ably. The hunting-grounds of the Mallnitz valley are the best in Carinthia, those 

 of the Tauern range, in the Gail valley, the Carinthian Alps and the Karawanken, 

 being also famous. Chamois are numerous in Lower Austria, and Salzkammergut 

 in Upper Austria is particularly favoured by them, although this cannot be said 

 of the Tyrol, the Vorarlberg, or Croatia. In the maritime parts of Austria, 

 chamois are only seen when migrating from place to place, but in Hungary 

 and the adjoining countries thej- inhabit the Carpathians and their spurs, 

 which comprise a much larger area than the Alps. In Galicia and Bukowina, 

 chamois are only migratory, but in Transylvania are resident. The inaccessible 

 peaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina shelter many chamois, and in Dalmatia they 

 inhabit the Dinarian Alps, while they are also found in Bavaria and Rumania, as 

 well as Greece. The izard or Spanish chamois, which has thinner horns, and 

 a coat almost foxy-red in colour, inhabits the Spanish parts of the Pyrenees 

 (being exterminated on the French side), and the Cantabrian Mountains, the 

 Serania de Ronde, the Sierra de Gredos, the Cordillera Capata, the Sierra Nevada, 

 and the Almansor, where it ranges up to 8700 feet. Chamois also inhabit the 

 mountains of Asia Minor. 



As well known as the chamois is the Alpine marmot (Arctomys 



Marmot. r . . 



marmottu), which lives on small isolated stony areas amid glaciers, 

 where there are neither trees nor shrubs. Although a rodent, it is not endowed 



