THE GOAT IS ENCOURAGING 



365 



The Goat Is Encouraging. 



Of all encouraging animals I think 

 the goat will take first premium. We 

 might as well expect a pig or an ox to 

 climb a tree, yet the goat with 

 his smooth hoofs can get out on the 

 limb of a tree, as is evidenced by the ac- 

 companying photograph, kindly lent us 

 by The New York Zoological Society. 



The goat does almost incredible 

 things. We read amazing stories of the 

 goat and disbelieve them until along 



eating paper, I made the reply that I 

 feared the humorists had greatly exag- 

 gerated the goat's eating capacity. A 

 goat now and then, may perhaps eat a 

 small piece of paper, as a horse may eat 

 a dried leaf. 



i'hat remark of mine made the 

 youngsters' eyes glisten with delight. 

 Jp went a multitude of hands. Those 

 boys were going to teach me, and they 

 intended to do it promptly. One of 

 them had a pet goat of which he was 



THE GOAT THAT CLIMBS A TREE— HIMALAYAN TAIIR. 



This hardy and skillful rrourtaireer, in lieu of rocks to climb, ascends the great oak in his corral. 

 Photcgrai:h by courtesy of The New York Zoological Society. 



comes somebody and proves that they 

 are true. I remember, when I was 

 teaching nature to the boys at The 

 MacKenzie School at Dobbs Ferry-on- 

 Hudson, that one of the youngest pupils 

 asked me this question, evidently trying 

 to ascertain how extensive is my 

 knowledge of goats: "Does a goat 

 really eat the paper from billboards and 

 old newspaper as is often shown in 

 pictures?" Having never seen a goat 



very fond and he had frequently exhib- 

 ited that goat's ability to eat paper. 

 I didn't know much, but they seemed 

 fortunately to think that I might be 

 taught. The pet was brought into the 

 classroom, and in my presence, ate an 

 entire New York Sunday newspaper. 



Now along comes Mr. E. R. Sanborn, 

 photographer to the New York Zoologi- 

 cal Park, and demonstrates by the aid 

 of his camera that a goat can climb a 



