The White Goat and his Country 
goats. Their horns are not deciduous, so far 
at least as I could learn, and the books say 
this also. But I read a somewhat inaccurate 
account of the goat’s habits in winter-time. It 
was stated that at that season, like mountain 
sheep, he descends and comes into the valleys. 
This does not seem to be the case. He does 
not depend upon grass, if indeed he eats grass 
at all. His food seems to be chiefly the short, 
almost lichen-like moss that grows on the 
faces and at the base of the rocks and be- 
tween them in the crevices. The community 
of goats I watched was feeding; afterward, 
when on the spot where they had been, I 
found there was no grass growing anywhere 
near, and signs pointed to its having been the 
moss and rock plants that they had been eat- 
ing. None of the people in the Methow 
country spoke of seeing goats come out of the 
mountains during winter. Ihave not sufficient 
data to make the assertion, but I am inclined 
to believe that the goat keeps consistently to 
the hills, whatever the season may be, and in 
this differs from the mountain sheep as he 
differs in appearance, temperament, and in all 
characteristics excepting the predilection for 
59 
