THE GOAT 275 



as if it meant to knock them over with a butt of its 

 horns/' added Emile; "but it is only in fun. They 

 hold out an open hand, and the goat strikes the palm 

 very softly without hurting it, provided they are 

 good friends. If ijot, I should n 't like to find myself 

 facing the goat's horns." 



"The goat is always friendly if well treated. Its 

 butting is then harmless, and play does not degener- 

 ate into a fight. 



"To appreciate fully the kindness of the goat, one 

 must have witnessed the following illustration of it. 

 When a nursing baby has had the misfortune to lose 

 its mother, it sometimes happens that the she-goat is 

 substituted as a nurse. In this function the excel- 

 lent animal is truly admirable ; the tenderest mother 

 is not more vigilant or more assiduous. To the 

 wailing of the beloved baby it responds with a gen- 

 tle bleating and runs to it in all haste, lying on its 

 side the better to present its udder to the nursling. 

 If there is any delay in putting the baby within 

 reach, the goat by its restless movements, trembling 

 voice, I might almost say by its gestures, begs that 

 the infant be allowed to suck. How shall I express 

 it, my friends? The animal in this action is sub- 

 lime in its devotion. 



' t Should you like now to see the goat giving proof 

 of its tame, trustful nature? I will tell you how the 

 milk-peddlers of our southern towns are in the habit 

 of leading their flocks of goats through the streets, to 

 sell from door to door the milk freshly drawn under 

 the buyer's very eyes. What would the timid sheep 



