AND OTHER HUNTING ADVENTURES. 237 



young that have been captured and brought down 

 to the settlements have soon died. So that none of 

 them are found in parks and zoological gardens, as 

 are specimens of nearly all other large wild animals. 



There are fewer mounted skins of this animal in 

 Eastern museums than of any other species indige- 

 nous to this country, and hence the public and 

 naturalists have had fewer opportunities to study 

 and become familiar with it than with other wild 

 mammals. Yet it is one of the most beautiful and 

 interesting of all our American quadrupeds, and 

 probably no sportsman or naturalist has ever yet 

 mustered courage and hardihood enough to go where 

 he could kill a Rocky Mountain goat without feel- 

 ing amply repaid for all the labor and hardship 

 encountered by being able to behold this mystic 

 creature in his lofty mountain home. In view of 

 the limited facilities people have had for studying 

 this animal a somewhat minute description of it may 

 not be amiss here. 



In size it is but a trifle larger than the Merino 

 sheep, which, in fact, it closely resembles in many 

 respects. The form of its body is robust, fore parts 

 rather thicker than hinder parts, with a slight hump 

 over shoulders, similiar to that of the American 

 bison. Its color is entirely white, or, in some 

 instances, of a light creamy shade. Hair long and 

 pendant. A beard-like tuft of hair on the chin. 

 Long coarse hair, more abundant, on shoulders, neck, 

 and back. Under and intermixed with this long 

 hair there is a close coat of fine, silky, white wool, 

 equal in fineness to that of the Cashmere goat. Hair 

 on face and legs short and without wool. Horns 



