A tour through the Pyrenees . Chap. VIII. PLANTS AND ANIMALS. 379 his place upon points where there is just room forhis four feet. You sometimes hear a hollow bleat-ing on the heights: it is a band of isards crop-ping the herbage amidst the snow; their tawnydress and their little horns stand out in the blue ofthe heavens; one of them gives the alarm and alldisappear in a moment. VI. You often hear for a half-hour a tinkling ofbells behind the mountain ; these are the herds ofgoats changing their pasture. Sometimes thereare more than a thousand of them. You find your-. self stopped in crossing
A tour through the Pyrenees . Chap. VIII. PLANTS AND ANIMALS. 379 his place upon points where there is just room forhis four feet. You sometimes hear a hollow bleat-ing on the heights: it is a band of isards crop-ping the herbage amidst the snow; their tawnydress and their little horns stand out in the blue ofthe heavens; one of them gives the alarm and alldisappear in a moment. VI. You often hear for a half-hour a tinkling ofbells behind the mountain ; these are the herds ofgoats changing their pasture. Sometimes thereare more than a thousand of them. You find your-. self stopped in crossing the bridges until the wholecaravan has filed over. They have long hanginghairs which form their coat; with their black mantleand great beard, you would say that they were 380 THE VALLEY OF LUZ. BooicIIJ. dressed for a masquerade. Their yellow eyes starevaguely, with an expression of curiosity and gentle-ness. They seem to wonder at their walking Insuch orderly fashion on level ground. Only to lookat that dry leg and horny foot, you feel that they areframed to wander at random and leap about on therocks. From time to time the less disciplined onesstop, set their fore feet against the mountain, andcrop a bramble or a blossom of lavender. Theothers come and push them on; they start offagain with a mouthful of herbage, and eat as theywalk. All their physiognomies are Intelligent, re-signed and melancholy, with flashes of caprice andoriginality. You see the forest of horns wavingabove the black mass, and their smooth hair shiningIn the sun. P2normous dogs, with woo
Size: 2029px × 1231px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookpublishernewyorkhholtandcom
