THE CHAMOIS. 97 



descends the mountain, and on level ground its walk is 

 clumsy and ungraceful. It is not made to run, but 

 bounds along over the ground. The hoof is cloven, long 

 and pointed, and the slot of the chamois resembles that 

 of a sheep. The edges are sharp, which causes it to slip 

 easily on the ice, and on this account it rather avoids 

 passing the glaciers. When standing, the hind legs are 

 always bent, as if the animal were preparing to lie down, 

 which no doubt helps considerably to break the fall when 

 leaping from a great height. Notwithstanding this, the 

 croup is still somewhat higher than the fore part of the 

 body. The elastic force which the hind legs possess is 

 immense. With a sudden bound the chamois will leap 

 up against the face of a perpendicular rock, and merely 

 touching it with its hoofs, rebound again in an opposite 

 direction to some higher crag, and thus escape from a 

 spot where, without wings, egress seemed impossible, 

 When reaching upwards on its hind legs, the fore hoofs 

 resting on some higher spot, it is able to stretch to a 

 considerable distance, and with a quick spring will bring 

 up its hind quarters to a level with the rest of the body, 

 and, with all four hoofs close together, stand poised on a 

 point of rock not broader than your hand. On narrow 

 overhanging ledges some thousand feet high they walk 

 and gaze about, enjoying the security from pursuit which 

 such spots afford. 



But astonishing as their dexterity really is, much has 

 been related of them that has no foundation in fact, any 

 more than the tale of their placing sentinels to announce 

 when danger is near. Indeed there is something very 

 strange in the imperfect information obtained about the 

 chamois, and the marvellous stories related of it, and of 

 those who went in its pursuit. That this should have 

 been the case for a time is very natural, especially in 



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