Scrambles Amongst the Alps in the Years 1860-69 by Edward Whymper

. "When we were boys, Who would believe that there were mountaineers Dew-lapp'd like bulls, whose throats had hanging at them Wallets of flesh? ". W. Shakespeare

The Valley of Aosta is famous for its bouquetins, and infamous for its cretins. The bouquetin, steinbock, or ibex, was formerly widely distributed throughout the Alps. It is now confined almost entirely to a small district on the south of the Valley of Aosta, and fears have been repeatedly expressed in late years that it will speedily become extinct.