56 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



General description. 



in proportion to the body, is small. The eyes 

 are large, round, and brilliant; and the knotty 

 incurvated horns measure from two to four feet 

 in length : they are flatted before, round behind, 

 and divided by several transverse ridges; and are 

 of a dusky brown colour. The beard is long; 

 the body short, thick, and strong; and the tail 

 short and naked beneath. The hair is long, and 

 of a brownish or ash-colour, with a streak of 

 black running along the back. The belly and 

 thighs are of a delicate fawn-colour. The female 

 is about a third less than the male, and not so 

 corpulent. Her cok>ur is less tawny, and the 

 length of hef horns seldom exceeds eight inches. 



These animal*/" are principally found on the 

 Pyrenean and Carpathian mountains, the highest 

 points of the Rhaetian A^>s, <and the lofty hills 

 of Crete ; where ftiey aslerajole in flocks, con- 

 sisting of sometimesNjten 0r llfteen, but generally 

 of smaller numbers. TllSy feed during the night 

 in the highest woods:- bat -at sun-rise they quit 

 the woods, and ascend tlflg> mountains, feeding in 

 their progress, till they have" gained the most 

 considerable heights. They *fre\cpminonly seen 

 on the sides of those mountains wTiich face the 

 east or south, and repose in the highest places and 

 hottest exposures: but when the sun is declining, 

 they again descend towards the \voods;l&ud 

 there they also pass the winter. 



It has been observed, that the males - whifch 

 have attained the age of six years or upwards, 



