OF WILD ANIMALS 151 



in Ovis nelsoni a reputation for quick thinking, original reason- 

 ing and sound conclusions. In an incredibly short period those 

 animals came up to the status of tame animals. The five 

 sheep caught by Mr. Frakes were suddenly confronted by new 

 conditions, such as their ancestors had never even dreamed of 

 meeting; and all of them reacted in the same way. That was 

 more than "animal behavior." It was Thought, and Reason! 



THE GOATS. White Mountain Goat. I never have 

 had any opportunity to study at length, in the wilds, the 

 mental traits of the markhors, ibexes, gorals or serows. I have 

 however, enjoyed rare opportunities with the white Rocky 

 Mountain goat, on the summits of the Canadian Rockies as 

 well as in captivity. 



Where we were, on the Elk River Mountains of East 

 Kootenay, the goats had little fear of man. They did not 

 know that we were in the group of the world's most savage 

 predatory animals, and we puzzled them. Fourteen of them 

 once leisurely looked down upon us from the edge of a cliff, 

 and silently studied us for a quarter of an hour. An hour 

 later three of them ran through our camp. One morning an 

 old billy calmly lay down to rest himself on the mountain side 

 about 300 feet above our tents. At last, however, he became 

 uneasy, and moved away. 



This goat is not a timid and fearsome soul, ready to go 

 into a panic in the presence of danger. The old billy believes 

 that the best defense is a vigorous offense. On the spot where 

 Cranbrook, B. C., now stands, an old billy was caught unawares 

 on an open plain and surrounded by Indians, dogs and horses. 

 In the battle that ensued he so nearly whipped the entire outfit 

 that a squaw rushed wildly to the rescue with a loaded rifle, to 

 enable the Red army to win against the one lone goat. 



In those mountains the white goat, grizzly bear, mountain 

 sheep, mule deer and elk all live together, in perfect liaison, 

 and never but once have I heard of the goat getting into 

 a fight with a joint-tenant species. A large silver-tip grizzly 



