II 



EECOLLECTIONS OF CHAMOIS HUNTING 



Of the various forms of stalking \Yliicli I have tried, none, 

 in my opinion, will bear comparison with the chase of the 

 chamois — Antelope rupicapra, the only representative of 

 the species in Europe. 



The main element in ull forms of sport is that the 

 interest should be sustained. This is not possible with 

 any game that lives chiefly in dense covert. If the sports- 

 man is so fortunate as to get a chance ixi ^\\q\\ ferce naturce, 

 it comes suddenly, without warning, and often without 

 generalship on his part. Chamois, on the other hand, live 

 on ground which, as a rule, can 1)e thoroughly surveyed with 

 a telescope. Spying is in itself an art, the perfection of 

 which is only attainaljle by long practice, combined with 

 excellent natural vision, but considerable proficiency ma}' 

 be attained by an amateur possessed of a good instru- 

 ment, and wlio is not content to look over his ground but 

 searches it minutely and patiently. When he lias attained 

 even a moderate degree of skill, he has qualified himself 

 for one of the highest pleasures of hunting. Moreover, 

 he will not have reached finality, but will find that lie 



