30 WILD AXIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 



A little later, in plain view of the two goats, an old grizzly bear 

 and her cub crossed one end of the glacier somewhat below, but 

 caused no excitement, and my presence on the other side on a level 

 with them seemed not to be noticed. The security of their ^Dosition 

 apparentl}' banished all fear, but in more accessible places they 

 usually show as much caution and timidity as other game animals 

 under the same conditions of danger. Like many of the high moun- 

 tain species of animals, however, the goats are usually so unfamiliar 

 with man and his destructive habits that for a game animal they are 

 comparatively tame. 



In winter the,y seek the crests of the ridges at high altitudes, where 

 the snow is swept from the dwarf plant growth and food is always 

 available. Their dense coats of silky wool seem to be proof against 

 the severest cold and storms, but during a strong wind they seek the 

 sheltered side of the mountain or the protection of cliffs and rocks 

 and even caves. Above Iceberg Lake I found tlie well-used beds 

 back under little shelves of rock where the kids had apparently taken 

 shelter from wind and rain. Xear Sexton Glacier, on the side of 

 Going-to-the-Sun Mountain, I saw two old goats emerge from 

 shadowy caverns in the rocks which had entirely concealed them-dur- 

 ing the day. On the side of Chief Mountain, among the big bowlders 

 far above timberliue, I tried to bring an old goat and her little kid 

 closer to me by throwing stones beloAv them, but instead of coming up 

 where I was they quickly took refuge under the side of a huge bowlder 

 and refused to leave their shelter when the stones Avere striking the 

 rocks beyond them. In a few cases I was able to get near enough to 

 watch them feeding on the small mountain plants, but could not distin- 

 guish clearly which they selected for food. Apparently they grazed 

 at random among the little dwarf willows and in the beds of short 

 mountain grass and sedges, where a great variety of other plants also 

 were bedded together. Individual plants of a little water leaf {Pha- 

 celia) and mountain sorrel {Oxyria dlgyna) had been eaten off and 

 seemed to be rather favorite foods. Of their winter food little is 

 definitely known. 



Early in July the kids were well grown and probably about a 

 month old. Generally each mother goat was followed by one young, 

 but Ranger Gibb tells me that in a number of cases he has found two 

 3^oung following one old goat, and he thinks that twins are not rare 

 among them. The young of a month old seem to be as much at 

 home as their parents in climbing the cliffs and difficult trails, and 

 they even frisk on the steep snowbanks and walk the narrow crests 

 of ice and snow drifts for the mere sport of doing difficult stunts. 



If their principal enemy, the coyote, were destroyed, it is probable 

 that the goats would be much more common along the trails and at 



