THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT. 119 



bear, gray wolf, and the wild turkey have already 

 disappeared. 



With such facts as these before him, it was appar- 

 ent to Dyche that if he ever expected to complete his 

 collection of birds and animals it was high time to 

 set about it. Following out this idea, he devoted a 

 year to the study of taxidermy and to visiting the 

 various large museums of the East as well as zoologi- 

 cal gardens ancj shops of taxidermists. Some months 

 were spent in the studio and workshop of W. T. 

 Hornaday while he was mounting his large group of 

 bison, and in the study and measurement of live 

 animals in the various zoological gardens, and then 

 he felt partially prepared for the labours before him. 



In the Century magazine of December, 1884, ap- 

 peared an article on the Rocky Mountain goat, from 

 which the following extracts are taken : 



" Its history is one of peculiar interest. So far as 

 I know, specimens of the Aplocerus montanus are 

 to be found only in three cities : In London, where 

 an under- sized and wretchedly stuffed specimen does 

 not redound to the honour of the British Museum or 

 of English taxidermists ; a better one in the Leyden 

 Museum ; two fair representatives, one male and one 

 female, in the National Museum at Washington." 



"Of the twenty-three scientific authorities who 

 have, so far as I have been able to follow the subject, 

 written on this animal, none have ever seen one 

 alive, and only four have ever examined a stuffed 

 specimen, but they, nevertheless, have bestowed 

 9 



