THE SPANISH IBEX. 967 



Sierra de Ronda from their junction in the Sierra de Tolox, and 

 the third one in Sierra Morena, near Fuencaliente, under the 

 protection of the Marquis of Merito. Another community of 

 C. p. hispanica is that of Sierra Martes, Valencia Province, 

 mentioned by Chapman and Buck. It is very possible that 

 Ibexes exist also in the mountains on the opposite bank of the 

 river Gabriel, a name itself derived from " cabi-a " ; but if such is 

 the case, these Goats cannot be considered a different colony, since 

 they may swim across the river, as a specimen now preserved iu 

 the collection of the Institute of Valencia was actually seen to do. 



The two remaining colonies of this race are established on the 

 lower Ebro, not far from Tortosa. One of these comprises the 

 Sierra de Cardo and the Tivisa Mountains, where an immature 

 male, recently received by the Madrid Museum, was obtained. 

 The other colony is found on the other side of the river, on 

 Mount Caro. 



At first glance, the three subspecies of the Spanish Ibex are 

 much alike, their chief differences being in the horns and in the 

 extent of the black markings peculiar to these Goats. The 

 species, as a whole, may be described as a pale brown animal 

 with the outer side of the limbs black, a black band on the lower 

 part of the flanks, and a short black mane, continued along the 

 back by a narrow stripe. The forehead and the beard are 

 blackish or very dark brown, and the belly and inner part of 

 the limbs white. In winter pelage there is a whitish underfur, 

 quite absent in summer, when the general colour is browner and 

 the black areas become more abruptly definite. The females lack 

 in all seasons the mane and the black markings of the head and 

 body, presenting only a blackish tint on the anterior face of the 

 limbs*, and it is the same with young males, in which the black 

 areas appear in the second or third year, becoming larger and 

 darker as the animal grows older. It is, therefore, very difficult 

 to ascertain the differences between the various subspecies when 

 quite adult males ai-e not at hand. 



In the typical Capra pj/renaica the doi'sal line appears con- 

 siderably broadened on the withers, frequently forming a large 

 lozenge-shaped blot which in old specimens spreads laterally 

 over the shoulders, coming downwards to coalesce with the black 

 of the fore limbs. The black of the hind limbs extends upwards 

 over the whole external surface of the thighs and on the hind- 

 (]|uarters, sometimes reaching the median stripe on the rump. 

 The Mediterranean C. p. hispanica has these black areas con- 

 siderably reduced, the dorsal stripe being not broadened anywhere, 

 and the black of the fore limbs reaching at most the lower jaai't 

 of the shoulder and the chest, whereas on the thighs it does not 

 reach the haunches and is nai-rowed to a mere band connecting 



* In one of the illustrations in Chapman and Buck's ' Unexplored Spain,' repre- 

 senting the shooting of Ibexes in the Sierra de Gredos, the females are erroneously 

 depicted with a well-marked dorsal line. In reality, this stripe is, in females ajUi(i 

 j'oung males, very faint or quite obsolete. 



66* 



