The Ibex i 29 



a beard on the chins of the males of the former, and the strong odour 

 exhaled by that sex. The two African wild goats are the Arabian and the 

 Abyssinian ibex (Capra nubiana and C. vali), both of which resemble other 

 true ibex in the bold knots on the front surface of the scimitar-like horns 

 of the males. The former is specially distinguished by the comparative 

 narrowness of this front surface, but the latter is still very imperfectly 

 known. 



The Arabian Ibex [Capra nubiana) 



This species, which is a true ibex, standing about 33 inches at the 

 shoulder, may be at once distinguished from either the European or the 

 Asiatic species by the relatively long and slender horns of the bucks, in 

 which the front surface is very narrow and the outer front angle bevelled off. 



The female is an insignificant little animal with small, flattish horns 

 about 5 or 6 inches in length. With the exception of the Nilghiri wild 

 goat [Hemitragus hylocrius), this ibex carries the lightest pair of horns of 

 any of the goats, for, although these assume very fair dimensions, they 

 are small in circumference. I was particularly struck with their near 

 resemblance to C. cegragus, especially in the narrow frontal surface and 

 irregularity of the knobs, although these features are not carried to the 

 same extent. This suggests that the two species must formerly have come 

 into contact by way of the plateau of Syria and the Lebanon Mountains, 

 which connects this peninsula and the continent ol Asia Minor. 



The next question is whether the Arabian C. sinaitica is identical with 

 the African C. nubiana. In my opinion this is the case. The typical 

 C. nubiana — from the districts on the west side of the Red Sea— grows 

 horns of greater length and circumference, this being apparently due 

 to better and more regular feeding. 1 On the other hand, in the stony 



1 The best recorded pair of horns of this ibex, shot in North Africa, are in the British Museum. 



