ON THE GEMS JOCH. 379 



the current of air came rippling among them. There 

 would be no need, no time indeed, for any such an- 

 nouncement. The sharp whistle moreover is not in- 

 tended as a signal, for when the animal is quite alone 

 the sound is still uttered : it is rather an expression of 

 wonderment and of fear, — may-be also of displeasure. 

 A deer, if it come upon some strange object suddenly, 

 and quite unable to make out what it is, will gaze, stamp 

 on the ground, and utter a grating noise : and the roe 

 too, when very frightened, has a most discordant cry. 

 But these are all expressions of personal feeling, without 

 reference to others of the herd j though of course such 

 token of alarm uttered by one makes all vigilant ; and 

 though the rest see nothing, it will cause them to scam- 

 per away more scared than if they knew from what 

 they were running. In the present instance not one 

 was watching. 



Quick as are the eye and ear of the chamois, these 

 organs may be termed coarse in comparison with the 

 sense of smell these animals possess. Watchful and alert 

 as they are, I have sometimes passed in places unob- 

 served by them, when they ought to have seen me ; but 

 never on any occasion did the slightest breath of air 

 flutter round or move only in a direction from me to 

 them, without their marvellously fine sense perceiving 

 it, and making them alive to the danger. I am con- 

 vinced too they rely for safety more on the sense of 

 smell than on that of sight or hearing. 



At last three came nearer the rocks. " That first one 

 is a buck," said Hans; " don't you think you could hit 

 him ? it's not so very far. That other is a buck too, 

 but he is much further." Lying down at full length on 

 the ground, I tried my aim. " I think I can manage it," 

 I replied, and fired. " Well done ! he's hit, well hit \" 



