8o HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS. 



THE IBEX. 



(Capra Ibex, Linn. Lc Bouquetin, BufF.) 



IF we believe M. Buffon, is the stock from which 

 our domestic Goat is descended; it is larger, but 

 resembles it much in the shape of its body: its 

 horns are much larger; they are bent backward, 

 and are full of rings: every year of its life, it is 

 asserted, one is added to the number of them. 

 Some of these horns have been found at least two 

 yards long. The head of the Ibex is small, adorned 

 with a dusky beard, and has a thick coat of hair of 

 a deep brown colour, mixed with ash: a streak of 

 black runs along the top of its back : the belly and 

 thighs are of a delicate fawn colour. The female is 

 one-third less than the male; her horns are very 

 small, and not above eight inches long. 



