CAPRA. 
77 2 
are of a dirty blackifli colour, and much longer than thofe 
of the common goat; thole of the females are a brownifh 
aIh colour, and much fmaller: the upper parts of th« body 
are of a bright brownifh grey colour, with a narrow dark 
brown lift along the back ; the under parts are whitifti, 
and the limbs are black; the hair is harfti, fomewhat ftiff, 
a(h coloured at the roots, and intermixed with an aflt-co- 
loured wool. This animal is about the fize of the com¬ 
mon goat, with which, however, it will not breed, and is 
rather fhorter and broader in its genera! form. 
to. Capra ibex, the ibex : has large horns, knobbed'on 
their upper furfaces, and reclined backwards; the throat 
bearded ; it inhabits theKamtfchatkan, Siberian, Arabian, 
Cretan, Italian, Appenine, German, Svvils, and Tyrol, 
Alps, chiefly in the mod precipitous and inacceflible places. 
This animal is exceedingly active, very fwift, and leaps 
with aftonilhing agility and dexterity in the molt danger¬ 
ous rocky places of the mountains; it is larger than the 
wild goat, having a fliort, thick, and ftrong body, with 
ftrong yet handfome legs, and very fhort hoofs; the head 
is ftiort, with a thick compreffed muzzle; the horns of 
tiie male are very large, of a blackilh grey or afh colour, 
jfometimes three feet long, and weighing from eight to ten 
pounds; they are rounded on the under furface, much 
knobbed on the upper furface, furnifhed with projecting 
longitudinal ridges, and confiderably more arched than 
thole of the wild goat; the horns of the female have fewer 
knobs, are fmaller than thofe of the male, and refemble 
the horns of the common (he-goat; the male is furnifhed 
with a dufky beard; the general colour of the hair, which 
as long, is a deep brown, mixed with hoary, with a black- 
ifh lift along the back ; the belly is of a tawny white co¬ 
lour ; the knees are white, with a large black fpot above, 
and another below each ; the tail is fliort, black on its up¬ 
per furface and at the point, and naked underneath : in 
young animals the fur is of a dirty grey colour, and the 
females are a good deal fmaller than the males. The ibex 
lives much among the fnows and glaciers of the highelt 
mountains, is exceedingly wild, and difficultly fhor, the 
chace, being very hazardous on account of the nature of 
their retreats, and being very ftrong, they frequently tum¬ 
ble the huntfman over the precipices. In fevere winters 
they fometimes defcend a little way in queftof food. During 
the rutting feafon, the males bray very loud; the females 
retire to the (ideof fome fmall ftream to bring forth, and 
have one, or at raoft two, at a birth. The ibex is named 
Tau-tokke, or mountain goat, by the Tartars ; the flefh 
is much efteemed, and the fkin very thin. Dr. Gmelin is 
uncertain whether the ibex found in Siberia be the fame, 
or a diftinct fpecies. 
Division II.— The ANTELOPE. 
The Antelope has perfiftent horns, which are hollow, 
and filled with a flint or fpongy bone ; they are moftly 
round and ereCted, and are frequently twilled fpirally, or 
furrounded with rings. The lower jaw has eight broad 
fore-teeth, the upper jaw none; and there are no tulks in 
either. To this Linmean character Mr. Pennant adds, 
that the limbs are light anil elegantly made; and that the 
infide of the ears are marked with three longitudinal fea¬ 
thered lines of hair. None of the numerous fpecies of this 
germs are found in America; they are moftly confined to 
Alia and Africa, inhabiting the hotteft regions of the old 
world, or the temperate zones near the Tropics, only two 
fpecies being found in Europe, the Chamois and Saiga: 
they chiefly inhabit hilly countries, though fome refide in 
the plains ; and fome fpecies form herds of two or three 
thoufand, while others keep in fmall troops of only fiveor 
iix together : they often clamber up rocks, and browze 
like goats, and frequently feed on tender flioots of trees: 
they are.very elegantly made, aCtive, reftlefs, timid, fliy,. 
and aftoniftiingly fwift, running with vaft bounds, and 
fpringiiig or leaping with furprifing elafticity, frequently 
flopping for a moment to gaze at their purfuers, and then 
lefuming their flight, The antelope forms the connecting 
chain between the deer and goat, though arranged with the 
latter. In the form of their bodies they agree with.the 
deer, and in the circumftances of their horns they refemble 
the goats; they have all gall-bladders; diftinct lachrymal 
gutters or pits under the eyes; a plait of the Ikin divided 
into feveral cells in the groins; bruffles of hair on the 
knees; and fuch beautiful black eyes, that in the eaft, the 
rnoft flattering compliment which can be paid to a fine wo¬ 
man is, to fay fitehas the eyes of an antelope. In general, 
their flefli is excellent, though fome fpecies have ja rank 
hircine or mulky flavour. There are a great nia ( ny fpe¬ 
cies, which we ffiall correCtly enumerate. 
1. Antilope leucophaea, or the blue antelope : of a blue- 
ifh colour; the horns roundifli, annulated, and bent back¬ 
wards in an arch: it inhabits the country to the north of 
the Cape of Good Hope : this fpecies is larger than a fall, 
low deer ; when alive, the fur is of a fine blue colour, and 
velvet-like appearance; but, when dead, it changes to a 
blueilh grey, with a mixture of white : the under parts of 
the body are white, and there is a white blotch under each 
eye, and on the fore part of each foot: the ears are (harp- 
pointed, and above nine inches 1 ong; the horns are arched, 
bending backwards, and marked with twenty -prominent 
rings, but become fmooth, taper, and ftiarp at the ends; 
the hair on the fur is long; the tail is about feven inches 
long, terminated by a tuft of longifti hair. This fpecies, 
according to Mr. Pennant, from the length of its hair and 
form of the horns, comes the neared to the goats. 
2. Antilope Lerwia, .the Lerwee, or Gambian antelope : 
of a reddifh colour, with a remarkable tuft of hair on the 
iiape of the neck : the horns are wrinkled, bent back¬ 
wards, diftant in the middle, and approach each other at 
the bafe and points. According to Dr.-Pallas, it inhabits 
Africa,' chiefly about the rivers Gambia and Senegal : is 
about the fize of the fallow deer, and is particularly re¬ 
markable by the tuft of hair on the nape of the neck, and 
by having long bru flies of hair on the knees of the fore 
legs: the horns are about thirteen inches long ; at the 
bale they meafure five iriches and a half in circumference; 
their lower parts are furrounded with eight or nine rings; 
the middle parts are very wide ; but the points, which are 
fmooth, come very near each other. 
3. Antilope rupicapra, or the chamois : with fmooth, 
rounded, ereCt, horns, which are hooked back at the ends: 
it inhabits the Alpsof Dauphiny, Savoy, Swifferland, and 
Italy ; the Pyrenean, Carpathian, Grecian, Cretan, Caufi. 
caftan, and Taurian, mountains ;• dwells in the nioft inac- 
ceffible rocky parts of the mountains, but feldorn fohigh as 
the ibex, and generally keeps in considerable flocks; feeds 
moftly before funrife and after funfet, on the twigs of 
flirubs, herbs, and rpots, being particularly fond of the 
meum athamanta; and certain balls, found in their fto- 
maclis, called agograpila :, are fuppofed by Kramer, Hill, 
nat. Aultr. 320. to bp occafioned by that kind of food ; in 
winter they retreat juto the hollows of rocks, to avoid the 
avelenches, or fliooting of the fnow : this animal has very 
nice fenfations of fmelling, fight, and hearing, and is ex¬ 
ceedingly fliy, timid, and fwift: each herd has a leader, who- 
keeps watch on an eminence while the reft are feeding, and 
gives a fort of liifs, or whiftle, as a fignal, on feeing an 
enemy : they are hunted in winter for their (kins, which 
make- excellent foft ftiantoy or chamois leather, and for 
their flefli, which is reckoned very delicate; the fport is 
both hazardous and laborious, on account of the rugged 
mountains and rocks which they frequent, leaping from 
cliff to cliff, and running over the precipices with wonder¬ 
ful celerity ; they are generally (hot with rifled guns: the 
chamois is about the fize of an ordinary goat, but has longer 
limbs, and the fur, at the beginning of the fummer, is 
fhorter; it is of a deep reddifh-brown colour, withablack- 
illi line along the back; the forehead, top of the head, 
cheeks, throat, and infide of the ears, are white; the up¬ 
per lip is half divided; the knees have b nifties or bunches 
of hair; the tail is fliort, and blackitli underneath; the 
belly-is yellowiffi ; the hoofs are much divided: in both 
fexes 
