The Wild Goats and Sheep of Dardistan 83 



ridges ; but the sight of an ibex horn stick- 

 ing out of an avalanche of snow is not very 

 uncommon. 



After the green grass has spread up the 

 mountain- side, as it quickly does, ibex are more 

 difficult to find ; but the summer climate of ibex- 

 land, the tonic of the air, and general surround- 

 ings, make ibex stalking at this season the 

 pleasantest sport of any in the Himalaya. At 

 this time the under -wool comes out in patches, 

 making them look like children's toys with the 

 stuffing coming out. The colour of ibex varies 

 a good deal, the usual changes being from red in 

 the summer to brown in the winter. The males 

 have often a donkey stripe and light saddle-mark, 

 and in winter especially their hindquarters and 

 legs have a good deal of white. Their eyes are 

 goats' eyes not blue as some taxidermists seem 

 to think. In the summer during the day they 

 lie chewing the cud on rocky crags and aguilles, 

 whence they only come down in the evenings, 

 often too late for a shot, so the stalker has to be 

 up betimes. 



Luckily for the ibex and markhor stalker there 

 is some reliance to be placed on the wind, "the 

 fickle element" in these parts. Before the sun 

 is up the wind blows downwards, and an early 

 stalk may sometimes be made from below, but as 



