130 



WILD SPAIN. 



The following are the maximum dimensions of the heads 

 of male ibex, measured by the authors — all from the 

 central and south-Spanish sierras. 



Through the kindness of the late Sir Victor Brooke, we 

 are also enabled to give the following measurements of 

 his three best Pyrenean ibex heads. 



Sir Victor Brooke wrote : — " A. This was a very grand 

 old ibex : but the points were broken and his horns rubbed 

 smooth with age. The Pyrenean ibex are much larger 

 beasts than those from the southern sierras." 



The natural home of the ibex may be denned as 

 exclusively amidst the summits of the wildest rock-moun- 

 tains and most alpine spots upon earth — subject, how- 

 ever, to such, apparently accidental, variations of this 

 general rule, as will be found hereinafter mentioned. Here 

 their hollowed hoofs and marvellous agility enable them to 

 traverse, at full speed, ice, crag, and precipice that seem 

 absolutely impassable, and to mount rock-walls where no 

 visible foothold exists, throwing into heart-breaking in- 

 significance our puny efforts to encompass them. If a 

 man's heart swells with the pride of strength — if he 

 flatters himself that he is master of all the beasts of the 

 field and of the arts of field-craft, let him try a campaign 

 with the wild-goats — verily there is no sublunar under- 

 taking better calculated to take the conceit out of him. 

 Mere figures give but a poor idea : to say that the 

 favourite haunts of ibex lie at altitudes of 8,000 to 10,000 

 feet, is hardly any real criterion of the difficulties and 



