264 
SBEX. 
in pursuit of this animal, being overtaken by dark» 
ness, amid crags and precipices, they are obliged 
to pass the whole night standing, and embraced 
together, in order to support each other, and to 
prevent themselves from sleeping. 
As the animals ascend into the higher regions 
very early in the morning, it is necessary to gain the 
heights before them, otherwise they scent the hun- 
ters, and betake themselves to flight. It would 
then be in vain to follow them, for, when once 
they begin to escape, they never stop till they are 
entirely out of danger, and will even sometimes 
run for ten or twelve leagues before they rest. 
Being very strong, when they are close pressed 
they sometimes turn upon the incautious huntsman 
and tumble him down the precipices, unless he has 
time to lie down, and let the animal pass over him. 
It is said also, that when they cannot otherwise 
avoid the hunter, they will sometimes throw them- 
selves down the steepest precipices, and fall on their 
horns in such a manner as to escape unhurt. Cer- 
tain it is, that they are often found with only one 
horn, the other being probably broken off in some 
fall. It is even pretended, that, to get out of the 
reach of huntsmen, they will hang by their horns 
over the precipices, by a projecting tree, and re- 
main suspended till the danger is over. 
The ibex will mount a perpendicular rock of fif- 
teen feet at three leaps, or rather at three successive 
hounds, of five feet each. It does not seem as if 
he found any footing on the rock, appearing to 
touch it merely to be repelled, like an elastic sub- 
stance striking against a hard body. If be is be- 
tween two rocks which are near each other, and he 
wants to reach the top, he leaps from the side of 
one rock to that of the other alternately, till he 
has attained the summit. The fore legs being con- 
siderably shorter than the hinder ones^ enables 
