. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. 544 THE IBEX. unaccustomed sound is sufficient to send them towards their rocky fastnesses, ever and anon halting and looking hark to examine the cause of their terror. The hair of this animal is extremely long and coarse, hanging mane-like on each side of its head and neck. The general color of the Jharal is a very pale grayish-fawn, diversified with a dark streak along the back, and a brown mark on the forehead and front of the le°-s. The horns are very curiously formed. They are very
. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. 544 THE IBEX. unaccustomed sound is sufficient to send them towards their rocky fastnesses, ever and anon halting and looking hark to examine the cause of their terror. The hair of this animal is extremely long and coarse, hanging mane-like on each side of its head and neck. The general color of the Jharal is a very pale grayish-fawn, diversified with a dark streak along the back, and a brown mark on the forehead and front of the le°-s. The horns are very curiously formed. They are very much depressed, and are very wide at the base, from whence they spread outwards, and then suddenly narrow into a point, which is curled so strongly inwards that the two points nearly meet above the neck. Upon their frontal edge are seven small distinct protu- berances, becoming gradually obliterated as they are set higher upon the horns, and each creating a, wrinkle which passes nearlyround the entire horn. Their color is grayish- buff. Of the genus Capra, which includes several spe- cies, the li:i:\, or Steinbock, is a familiar and excellent example. This animal, an inhabit ant of the Alps, is remark- able for the exceeding devel- opment of the horns, w hich are sometimes more than three feet in length, and of such extraordinary dimensions I hat, they appear to a casual ob- server to be peculiarly unsuit- able for an animal which tra- verses the craggy regions of Alpine precipices. Some writ- ers say that these enormous horns are employed by their owner as "buffers," by winch the force of a fall may be brok- en, and that the animal, when leaping from a great height, will alight on its horns, and by their elastic strength be guarded from the seveiit y of a shock that would instantly kill any animal not so defended. This statement is, however, but little credited. To hunt the Ibex successfully is as hard a matter as hunting the chamois, for the Ibex is to the full as
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbr, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology
