ANTILOPE RUPICAPRA. 139 



Most abundant between tbat river and the Irtish, seldom 

 passing north of the 55th degree of latitude. 



Antilope rupicapra. 



Antilope rupicapra, Desm. Mamm. Sp. 731 ; Pallas, Zoog. Robs. As. 

 Capella rupicapra, Keys. u. Blas. Wirbelth. Europ. p. 28. 

 The Chamois of the Alps. The Izard of the Pyrenees. 



Description. — Horns in both sexes, those of the male the 

 larger, black, rounded, smooth, perpendicular to the head, 

 and abruptly hooked backwards near their points ; the two 

 central cutting teeth longer than the others ; no tear- 

 furrows ; a cavity in the skin at the base of each horn on 

 the inside ; a black streak runs along the spine. Fur long 

 and thick, dark brown on the body in winter, becoming 

 somewhat grey in the spring and tawny brown in summer ; 

 the hairs are grey at their base at all times ; head pale yellow, 

 excepting a band of dark brown which begins near the nose, 

 surrounds the eye, and ends near the base of the horn and 

 ear ; the tail is black, a space on each side of it white ; 

 hoofs concave beneath, with the edge, especially on the 

 outer side, projecting. The females are smaller than the 

 males. 



Length of head and body, 3 feet 4 inches ; head to root 

 of horns, 6-1 inches ; ears, 4£ inches ; tail, without the hair, 

 3£ inches ; height at the shoulder rather more than 2 feet. 



The female goes with young between seven and eight 

 months, and produces one at a birth. The Chamois fre- 

 quents the highest Alpine regions, living in small herds of 

 from three to six. 



It is found in the Alps of Switzerland, France, Piedmont, 

 the Tyrol, Bavaria, and Saltzburg ; in the Apennines and 

 Carpathians, and, according to Desmarest and Blasius, in 

 Greece, and some of the islands of the Archipelago ; also 

 in the Pyrenees, where the animal undergoes some varia- 



