104 



THE TWO-TOED ARTIODACTYLA. 



are almost sharp on the outer edge, and when 

 seen in profile have the form of a rhomboid. 

 The hair is sometimes coarse, sometimes fine 

 and silky, but it does not present the character 

 of true wool. The straight nose distinguishes 

 the goat from the ram's-nose of the sheep. 

 But it must be confessed that there are tran- 

 sitional forms between these two groups, as 

 well as between antelopes and goats, the con- 

 necting links being the chamois on the one side 

 and the Rocky Mountain goat on the other. 



The goats inhabit high and steep un- 

 wooded mountains, where they can climb 

 about to their heart's content, scorning the 

 dangers presented by the chasms and preci- 

 pices. They are not fond of woods, but 

 delight to graze among shrubs and dwarfed 

 and creeping trees, where they find aromatic 

 herbs in abundance. They run, climb, and 

 spring with wonderful dexterity; the smallest 

 point of support serves to enable them to 

 make a leap or to take foothold. The ibex 



Fig. i8i.— The Rocky Mountain Go.ii i //,(/> A 'hvvj iniu-ricaiiHs). 



surpasses even the chamois in the certainty 

 with which it estimates distances for extraor- 

 dinary leaps. The senses, especially those 

 of smell and sight, are extremely well devel- 

 oped. The goats are very capricious in the 

 choice of plants on which to feed; they are 

 roguish and fond of teasing, cunning in case 

 of need, bold in presence of danger, if they 

 cannot escape from it by rapid flight. The 

 old males become ill-tempered and even 

 dangerous to man. The old females take 

 charge of the herd in turn while it is grazing 

 or resting. The young goats are delightful 



on account of their graceful movements and 

 comical attitudes. They can follow their 

 mothers a few hours after birth. All goats 

 have that peculiar smell which is so well 

 known, and which is present even in the flesh, 

 which on that account is less highly esteemed 

 than that of the sheep. The hunting of goats 

 is always laborious and exhausting, and often 

 likewise dangerous on account of the nature 

 of the resorts where they are found. 



The American Rocky Mountain Goat {Hap- 

 loceros amei'icanus), fig. i8i, inhabits the 

 heights of the mountains from which it is 



