Bob Raeburn, age 15, of Marquette, Mich., for his question:

WHERE DOES CHAMOIS SKIN COME FROM?

Chamois is a goat like animal that is in the same family that includes cattle, goats and sheep. The chamois, which resembles an antelope, lives wild in the upper forests and mountainous parts of Europe. A chamois skin is the hide of this animal and it is extremely soft. Pronounce the word: sham me.

Chamois skin is not only soft, but it is also very absorbent. It makes an excellent polishing or cleaning cloth. It is also used to make clothing.

Much of the so called chamois skin that is being sold these days, however, is actually skin that comes from sheep or goats rather than from the scarce chamois. Often it is packaged as 'shammy skin."

A chamois is about the same size as a domestic goat and it weighs about 60 pounds. Both males and females have horns that grow straight upward, then hoop sharply backward and then turn down. The male's horns are about nine inches long and the female's are a bit shorter. There are 15 or 20 in a herd.

Because the meat and hide are so prized, the animals have been hunted extensively and are now decreasing in numbers.