480 THE CHAMOIS ANTELOPE. 



a sharp hissing noise, which calls all the rest towards him to 

 judge for themselves of the nature of the danger. If they 

 descry a beast of prey, or a hunter, the most experienced of the 

 herd puts himself at their head, and conducts the retreat. 

 Then they bound along one after the other, leaping over the 

 wide yawning chasms of rocks, and springing from one high 

 point to one still higher, with the utmost rapidity and unerring 

 certainty; nor do they stop till they have gained some place 

 which will present the greatest obstacles to their pursuers. 

 The precision with which these animals can jump from one spot 

 to another, and their power of preserving the balance of the 

 body, may be conceived from the fact that a chamois will some- 

 times throw himself from a height of twenty or even thirty 

 yards upon a ledge so small as scarcely to afford room for his 

 feet to stand upon. The chace of these animals across the 

 mountains is a most daring and perilous undertaking, owing 

 to the steep acclivities which must be surmounted, and the 

 chasms that must be crossed. The hunters shoot them, and 

 rarely succeed in catching any of them alive. 



They couple from the end of October to the beginning of 

 November; and they bring forth in March and April. If a 

 young one be caught, it may be tamed. 



The flesh is good eating, and their skin, when tanned, furnishes 

 the celebrated chamois leather. 



THE GAZELLE. (Antilope Dorcas, Linn.) 



The gazelle inhabits Egypt and Arabia, and also extends its 

 range to the river Senegal, in Africa. 



It is about three feet and a half in length, and about one 

 foot nine inches in height at the shoulder ; the upper parts of 

 the body are of a dun colour, separated by a brown belt from 

 the white colour of the belly ; the face is reddish fawn-colour 

 with a dark brown streak on the nose ; the muzzle is slender ; 



