MOUNTAIN GOAT 



The Rocky Mountain Goat is a conspicuous creature in his 

 all-white coat, under most circumstances. A dweller upon 

 the high peaks where snow is a common feature of the land- 

 scape, he may easily escape attention when motionless upon a 

 white background but, in the southern part of his range at 

 least, he often leaves the snow to wander across the broum 

 slopes and then he becomes especially conspicuous. The 

 chief requisites for a successful goat hunter are a sturdy pair 

 of legs and good lungs. The shooting of the game is not 

 difficult once the hunter has climbed up into the goat zone and 

 there is no need of the skill which a deer stalk demands. Also, 

 the head of even the largest of Mountain Goats is small when 

 considered as a trophy, for the horns are short and lacking in 

 majesty. The great shaggy coat is worthy of a better pair of 



horns. 



The fact that Oreamnos lives only in the highest, roughest 

 mountain ranges or in the high latitudes, apparently acts as a 

 protecting factor for an animal that would otherwise have 

 been exterminated before this. In the southern part of its 

 range the Rocky Mountain Goat is seldom seen much below 

 timber-line and the wilder and more precipitous the region 

 the more abundant the Goats. Plate XLVII. 



The kids vary in number from one to two, and are bom in 

 late April or May. 



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