The Wild Goats and Sheep of Dardistan 73 



natives. Either they remain comparatively low 

 down in the forest region, where they are most 

 difficult to find and stalk, or they ascend to the 

 bare rocks above the limits of vegetation, whence 

 they only come down in the mornings and even- 

 ings to feed. Their habitat is then the same as 

 that of the ibex. I have seen a herd of markhor 

 graze their way through a lot of ibex at this 

 season without either taking the least notice of 

 the other. That day I shot a good specimen of 

 both the wild goats. 



It seems probable that of the two alternatives, 

 the high ground is most in favour with the 

 biggest markhor. This is what local shikaris 

 say; but their opinion may have been influenced 

 by the fact that they can find markhor on the 

 mountain - tops, while they are baffled in the 

 forests. At any rate there is no doubt that 

 more than a few gigantic old patriarchs spend 

 their summer in forest- covered nullahs like Damot 

 in the Gilgit district or Kesu in Chitral, where 

 in addition to other difficulties the hunter gets 

 hung up on very bad ground. 



In Chitral an annual migration of markhor 

 takes place, which shikaris call the rinj. After 

 spending their winter very low down, where it 

 is possible in a single day to see a monkey, a 

 bear, and a markhor, the latter beasts, which 

 have been inhabiting the southern end of the 



