NINTH AN'NTAL KHI'ORT. 9 



In western Europe we tind rtrst llie chamois i Kupicapra), 

 known in the Spanish Sierras and Pyrenees as the izanl. and ex- 

 tending- eastward thniuj^h the Alps and Carpathians as far as the 

 Caucasus. Throughout ah tliis range only one siK-cies is recog- 

 nized. 



The next genus of this group is the goral (Cciuas). with four 

 species ranging throughout the Himalayas and i)arts of China, 

 into Amurland. 



In Tihet we have tlie third and decidedly most aberrant mem- 

 ber of the Rnpicaprina-, the takin ( Budorcas). the horns of which 

 suggest those of the gnu. ( )nly one species of this genus is 

 known. 



The fourth, and to .\mericans pcrha|)s the most interesting 

 Old World member of this Subfamily, is the serow ( Xicmo- 

 rhcdiis), locally known as the forest goat. This gemis is jK'r- 

 haps, more closely allied to Oiraiinios than any of the i)receding 

 genera, and its horns resemble those of the mountain goat, but 

 are shorter and thicker. The genus Xa-iiior/icdus inhabits the 

 Himalayas, Tibet and China with outlying rejiresentatives in 

 Burma. Sumatra, I*"ormosa and japan and it is divided into 

 numerous species. The tiftli genus is Oirainiios, the subject of 

 this article. 



All the members of these genera resemble the goat in tooth 

 structure, but differ widely from them in the position and shape 

 of the horns, face glands and other important details. Tlie 

 whole grouj) is to be regarded as an early off-shoot of the 

 Boz-idcc. to some extent intermediate between thr goats and the 

 true bovine antelopes. The Rupicapriiuc nuist have pushed 

 north, with their not distant ally the musk-ox. at a verv earlv 

 time and become adjusted to alpine and bt^real conditions. .\t 

 the close of the glacial period many of its members ileserted 

 the low country and retired to high altitudes so thai in some 

 instances, notably that of llu- chamois, we ha\e an example of 

 discontinuous distributit)n. Its sole .\merican rei^resentative 

 probably reached this continent by way of the I'.ering Sea land 

 connection, during the middle Pleistocene, tt)gelher with the 

 other American genera of the Hoi'idcc. 



CK.N'I'IUU ( II \K \( ri;Ks. 



Orcaiiiiids as remarked abo\e, while more closeK ri-lated to 

 Ncriiior/icdiis than to the other memi)ers of the group, ha> de- 

 parted widely in ^trnituie fi-om all of its relatives. Its most 



