. Wild Spain ... records of sport with rifle, rod, and gun, natural history and exploration . ashing through the ilexes that clung to the <:rag—wecould hear the smashing of branch after branch as he brokehis way downwards. We descended to recover the gun, saddle,and equipments from the killed horse ; Init, to our amazement,foimd him quietly grazing—the gun still in the slings, thebridle over his nose—hardly, beyond a cut or two, the worse forhis adventure. The fall was over 100 feet, but the stoutbranches of ilex and clmparro, with a marvellous measure ofluck, had saved his life. Roebuck, i
. Wild Spain ... records of sport with rifle, rod, and gun, natural history and exploration . ashing through the ilexes that clung to the <:rag—wecould hear the smashing of branch after branch as he brokehis way downwards. We descended to recover the gun, saddle,and equipments from the killed horse ; Init, to our amazement,foimd him quietly grazing—the gun still in the slings, thebridle over his nose—hardly, beyond a cut or two, the worse forhis adventure. The fall was over 100 feet, but the stoutbranches of ilex and clmparro, with a marvellous measure ofluck, had saved his life. Roebuck, in Spain, are mostly killed with large shot (slugs),not ball; and to those who are content with this game, nearlyall the southern sierras would yield a measure of sport, com- 440 WILD SPAIN, biued with occasional chances at pig, and this often on ixnpre-served grounds. Eoe are confined to the mountaius—never found on theplains. The Spanish Ibex (Copra hispanica). Of the Cabra monies we have already treated (chapters xiii., pp. 128-172), and now add some notes which we contri-. FIVE-YEAR-OLD IBEX. buted to the Badminton Library through our friend Mr. , the editor of the Big Game volumes. The Spanish mountaineer does not much affect ibex-hunting,though there are in each mountain-village some who try to earna few precarious dollars by it. The peasants who follow thispursuit in the alpine regions of Spain become fearless climbers :with their feet clad in alparagatas, or hemp-soled sandals, theytraverse ridges and descend crags where nail-shod guide wouldfalter. The first object is to get as high as possible. Then,crawling to the verge of some feai-ful abyss, the hunter com- THE LARGE GAME OF SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 441 inands the depths beh)w, and, if he descry ibex, is enabled toapproach without the warning of the wind. Should he seenone, he imitates the shrill cry of the female, and not unfre-quently a ram is tlius betrayed by the whistle of love. Theibe
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