THE MOUNTAIN GOAT AS WE SAW HIM 119 



and dog. Mr. Wellman says that sometimes a wounded 

 sheep on the edge of a cliff will throw itself over, but 

 that no goat will do this. The latter believes that one 

 goat on a ledge is worth two in mid-air. With mar- 

 vellous coolness he stands fast, and waits for something 

 favorable to turn up. If he can charge the dogs that 

 annoy him, and gore them to death, or toss them off into 

 space, he will gladly do so ; but if he cannot, he " stands 

 pat " on his ledge, grits his teeth and stamps with vexa- 

 tion, and says, " Well, what are you going to do about 

 it? " Among white hunters, it is not considered either 

 fair or sportsman-like to shoot a goat or sheep that has 

 been " cornered " on a ledge, unless it is wounded. 



The action of a female goat photographed in August, 

 1905, on Ptarmigan Mountain, B. C., by Professor 

 Henry F. Osborn, reveals much of goat character, bear- 

 ing especially upon courage and affection. On the edge 

 of a ragged precipice, which with great care was prac- 

 ticable for goats, the old nanny and her four-months-old 

 kid were overtaken, and brought to bay. The way down 

 to safety was so steep and dangerous that it could be 

 taken only with caution and judgment; but if the mother 

 had disregarded her offspring, she could instantly have 

 found safety for herself by going down where no dog 

 could follow her. 



With the dog so close at hand, the mother decided 

 that she could not lead the way down, for fear her off- 

 spring would be seized before it left the summit. She 

 therefore faced the dog, with the kid behind her, and 

 several times attempted to charge her tormentor. But 



