. Brehm's Life of animals : a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools. Mammalia. Mammals; Animal behavior. THE HORNED ANIMALS—GOATS. 451 uation the hair forms a short beard, not over two inches long and absent in the young males and all females. The color of the beard slightly differs with age and season. In summer a reddish gray tint prevails, in winter it is yellowish gray or of a pale tint. Habits and Pecul- The Bouquetins form herds of vari- iarities of the ous sizes, the old males joining them Ste'mbock. only during the breeding season, however, an
. Brehm's Life of animals : a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools. Mammalia. Mammals; Animal behavior. THE HORNED ANIMALS—GOATS. 451 uation the hair forms a short beard, not over two inches long and absent in the young males and all females. The color of the beard slightly differs with age and season. In summer a reddish gray tint prevails, in winter it is yellowish gray or of a pale tint. Habits and Pecul- The Bouquetins form herds of vari- iarities of the ous sizes, the old males joining them Ste'mbock. only during the breeding season, however, and leading a solitary life during the re- mainder of the year. The she Goats and kids al- ways live in a lower belt of mountain region than do the males, in whom the yearning for the highest altitudes is so powerful that only lack of food and the severest cold can compel them to descend. According to Berthoud von Berghem, whose ac- counts are still accepted as authentic, all males that are over six years old retire to the highest spots in the mountain, lead a more and more solitary life and finally become so insensible to the severest cold that •they will sometimes stand on the highest peaks with their faces turned against the storm, motionless as statues, as a result of which they not infre- quently get the tips of their ears frozen. Like the Chamois, the Ibex also grazes during the night in the forests near- est the line of vegetation, in summer never descend- ing lower than a quarter of an hour's journey from the perpetual snow limit. At sunrise they begin to climb upwards, grazing, and finally settle down to rest on the highest and warmest places, facing east and south; in the afternoon they descend again, grazing, to spend the night in the forest, if possible. No other Ruminant seems to be so well fitted to climb mountains as the wild Goats in general and the Ibex in particular. All the movements of the latter are quick, vigorous and yet easy. It runs with great speed,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecta, booksubjectmammals
