230 THE HUNTING GEOUNDS 



points become nearly 6 inches apart. These ibex 

 are uniformly of a light ash, deepening to dark 

 brown on the hind-quarters and forepart of the 

 legs, with an almost black stripe running along the 

 ridge of the back. The head is fawn-colour, part 

 of the face being of a rich brown, and the muzzle 

 nearly black. The back is furnished with a shaggy, 

 stiff, upright mane, running along the neck and 

 shoulders, which gradually grows shorter on the 

 hind-quarters. The smell of this animal is parti- 

 cularly rank and offensive, and the flesh is scarcely 

 eatable at any time, being so strong-tasted and coarse. 

 Ibex are found in troops, rarely exceeding a dozen 

 in number, amongst the rugged crags of the highest 

 and most inaccessible mountains, their food consist- 

 ing chiefly of the different mosses and short, crisp, 

 delicate herbage indigenous to great altitudes. A 

 wary old buck who has often quite a patriarchal 

 appearance, is generally chosen as the leader of the 

 herd ; and if he sees anything suspicious, or catches 

 a taint in the air, a peculiar whistle alarms the rest, 

 causing them to collect together and remain on the 

 alert, and on a repetition of the signal away they 

 scamper, always ascending or descending a slope in 

 an oblique direction. Sometimes I have seen an old 

 female lead the herd, and on such occasions I have 

 always found it extremely difhcult to get within 

 range, as they are doubly cunning. 



Six hours' ride over most picturesque-looking 

 country brought us to our encampment, which 



