ocks and giant trees in their
arms. The whole winter architecture of the mountains crumbles to ruins
before the burning desert wind.

[Illustration: BATTLE OF THE CHAMOIS.]

When the storm is over the great ice beds and banks of snow cease their
pranks, and peace reigns once more in the mountains. But the strength of
winter is broken. The _Foehn_ returns again and again, and soon patches
of bluish-green begin to appear here and there among the high
precipitous crags. When the highest mountain pastures are open, the
chamois leave their forest retreat, and troop upward into the most lofty
regions. Here they lead a happy life. They are most frolicsome in the
autumn, and may be seen for hours together gambolling and chasing each
other upon the very smallest ledges of rock, where it would seem almost
impossible to maintain a foothold. There are sometimes bitter fights,
too, between the male chamois, terrible contests for leadership.
Grappling each other with their horns, they battle until the superiority
of strength is decided.

The chamois is very shy, and is always on the alert. Its sense of
hearing, of smell, and of sight is very acute, and the most skillful
hunter will sometimes search the mountain pastures for days without
securing his game. When the troop is grazing, a sentinel is always
appointed, who stands on the watch sniffing the air. At the least
approach of danger the careful sentinel gives a shrill whistling signal
of warning, and instantly the troop is filing off between the rocks and
along the chasms, where no human foot could follow, all whistling
together as they march. The only chance of the hunter to escape
detection by these watchful creatures is to approach them from above,
for, as if conscious that there are few so daring as to penetrate the
upper regions of eternal snow, the sharp eye of the sentinel is on the
look-out for danger from below.

As the greatest skill and courage are required to secure this valuable
game, a good chamois-hunter is a person of importance in the wild Swiss
valley where he lives, and the family of which he is a member glory in
his deeds, and relate them to awe-struck listeners around the evening
fireside. Chamois-hunting is the central point around which cluster all
the charms of romance and dangerous adventure; it is the subject of many
popular ballads, and its hold upon the imagination of the people is
wonderful. Chamois skulls adorned with the black hooked horns may be