AFTER ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOATS. 177 



crags. Following along this bench he reached a 

 point overlooking the entire valley below, and here 

 he found, in the crumbling rock and debris, the bed 

 of a goat. It was similar to those which the sheep 

 had made, but sticking to the sides could be seen 

 the long bristly white hairs of the goat. 



Here evidently the old billy had selected a spot in 

 which to chew his cud, for from this point he could 

 view the whole country at his leisure. A short dis- 

 tance farther on three more beds were found, and 

 many tracks indicated that this bench was the favour- 

 ite resting-place for goats. While proceeding cau- 

 tiously, Dyche was suddenly brought to a stand-still 

 by the noise of a stone rolling down the mountain 

 ahead of him. Well knowing that when stones move 

 some animal life must be near, he stopped and listened 

 until the noise was repeated, and then he ran to the 

 end of the bench, about a hundred yards beyond. 

 The increasing noise showed that some animal was 

 hastening down the mountain. 



Slipping off his shoes and depositing his camera 

 with them, the naturalist started on a noiseless run 

 towards the place whence came the sound. At this 

 point the formation of the mountain was peculiar, in 

 that there were two shelves or benches, one a short 

 distance above the other. These were connected by 

 a series of gulches, thus leaving a number of jutting 

 crags extending from the upper bench. The animal 

 reached the end of the lower bench as the hunter ar- 

 rived at the end of the upper, and now began a race 

 back. As Dyche reached the crag he saw some white, 

 shaggy object just disappearing around the rock be- 



