Climbing for White Goats 



in climbing over the rocks; but it must 

 not be imagined that it never falls from 

 the insecure perches which it frequents. 

 Such falls are not uncommon, but seem 

 rarely to result in serious injury. Kids 

 which have been captured when very 

 young and kept in captivity have been 

 observed to play at rolling down steep 

 banks, repeating the tumble over and over 

 again, as if practising for the falls which 

 they might be obliged to take later in 

 life. 



The spurious hoofs, or dew-claws, of 

 the goat, while not strictly functional, 

 are yet of great assistance to it in climb- 

 ing about among the rocks, and especially 

 in going down hill. These hooflets are 

 large, and catch on the ground without 

 yielding, acting as brakes, relieving the 

 direct strain on the middle toes of the 

 foot. The dew-claws almost always show 

 considerable wear against the rocks. 



Hunting the goat is man's work, and 

 to follow the game to its home among 

 the rocks calls for the best qualities of 

 the mountaineer. Muscle, nerve, and ex- 

 perience in mountain climbing are needed 

 by the goat hunter ; for the labor of reach- 

 ing the animal's home is extremely ardu- 

 ous. In some sections it is possible to 



119 



