Till': rVliKNKAN ll'.KX 249 



liiniti'(l ill nuiiilnT. jind the htouihI to ])c (lri\cii Ix'in^o; 

 easier lli;iii usual, rurdiici" I accoinpaiiird t lif Ix'atcrs, hut 

 the eovLTl proNod so dense and the ehimbering so continu- 

 oii?5, that tlie (diaiU'O of u'ettiti^' a sliot soomod ho])c]ess. I 

 locked ui\ rilli'. and de\(»ted ni\' whole eiiei'i;ies to kee|)inii' 

 in\- place in ihe line, llalfwax' ihrituiih, I iioticeil very 

 fresh sio-n of il»cx, and slioule<l to thai ellect to tlie nearest 

 beater. Just then "Medore" l>ei;an whimpering; a little, 

 and slowly picking out the scent hehmd the line, and in 

 tlu' opposite direction to wlii( h it was moving. To (juote 

 a junior mendier of my family "I sacv the scent go round 

 the cornel'," and then, thinkino- it a cold one, moved on : 

 when suddeiiK- the dog opened eagerly, fifty yards behind 

 me. 1 heard some heavy animal crashing through the 

 brush towards me, with a noise like a mad cow in a green- 

 In lU-e. and had just time to unloi'k and cock the riHe, when 

 a bruwii sliadow\- oliject passed within four yards of me. 

 I was al the nioineiit struiJL'linL'' in llie midst ol' a dense 

 thicket of young l)eech stems, the branches of which rpiite 

 prevented aii\- ]>lav oi- sweep of the barrel : but I rire(l the 

 veriest sna}) shot in the wmld. By the merest lluke 1 

 hajtpened to co\-er his shoulihT. and in f'Wer nioments 

 than it takes to write this line, the dog was teaiang at the 

 dead bo(l\- of another oM ram, scarcely inferior to the first. 

 1 must have passeil within a few ])aces of his place of con- 

 cealment, and as 1 rei-arded m\s(df onl\- as a bcatir 

 1 was makinLf noise enoiio-li to wake the vadev. This 

 incident shows the rrdiance which these goats ]tlac(> in 

 mere concealment, and ex[)lains how this scarce species 

 has maintained itself aLTainst extinction fdi- so manv 



ages. 



