232 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



off at breakneck speed, clearing awful-looking chasms, a fall down 

 which' would mean instant death, springing on to rocks upon which 

 one would imagine no animal living could possibly obtain a foothold, 

 and often leaping down a precipice and landing in perfect safety. 

 Small wonder then that, in view of this, the Chamois should make 

 such a strong appeal to the legitimate sportsman who is willing very 

 often to risk his own life in pursuit of wild beasts such as this, for 

 he must of necessity exhibit great skill, pluck and wonderful 

 endurance. 



ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT.— The Rocky Mountain Goat (Fig. 

 185), or White Buffalo, as the Indians called it, is another species 

 about which Zoologists differ as to the place that should be accorded 

 to it, for whereas it is called a Goat and is placed among this group 

 by some naturalists, by others it is relegated to the Antelopes. It 

 is certainly a difficult matter, in view of this divergence of opinion, 

 for a popular writer to decide where to assign two such animals as 

 the Chamois and the present species; thus some amount of licence 

 must be allowed, and the critic must not be too hasty in condemning 

 me for including the last-named and the present animal in this 

 section. Mountain Antelopes both of them may be, and as such 

 should perhaps have occupied a place in a previous chapter; but 

 equally trustworthy authorities class them with the Goats, and here 

 at any rate they have been accorded attention in the present volume. 

 The picture of this animal has a somewhat melancholy interest, 

 for the specimen has died since its photograph was taken. It was a 

 male which thrived well at the London Zoo for several years and 

 was the only living specimen in Europe. It may be well imagined 

 the great loss the Zoological Society sustained when this rare captive 

 succumbed, and we are fortunate in having a photograph of it from 

 life which adds interest to this sketch of its history. It is, as will be 

 seen, a peculiar-looking beast, the oddest perhaps of all the 

 ruminants. It has a white coat, all white and shaggy, the long hair 

 hanging over the body in a way which has prompted one writer to 

 compare it to the Polar Bear ! The white coat, low-carried head, 

 short legs, stout thick-set body and black nose, horns and hoofs are 

 salient features worthy of note, and to these may be added the thick 

 neck and legs. Indeed, the animal is thick all over, both in body 

 and covering, and, this being so, the thin slightly-spread horns are 

 more noticeable than if they were in keeping with the rest of the body. 

 Although only about the size of a large Goat, this animal looks 



