66 THE MOUNTAIN GOAT

the animal the appearance of having knickerbockers. On
the shoulders and hindquarters the hair is so coarse and
thick that it forms humps, and under the chin develops
into a beard, which in the case of the billies attains a length
of about six inches. For withstanding the rain, snow,
and extreme cold, there is nothing to equal the coat of a
goat, unless it is that of a caribou.

Goats have bright, beady black eyes, black lips and
nostrils, and short, sharp black horns, which are set very
close together. The horns of the nannies are long in
comparison with those of the billies, but they are not so
thick at the base ; the sex of the animal can be determined
by them at a glance. The best pair of billy horns I ever
secured myself measured 10§ inches in length, and they
had a base circumference of 6} inches, which is not far
from being equal to the record. Last season I saw a pair
that went a good 11 inches in length, but they did not
exceed 6 inches round the base. The longest pair of
nanny horns I have ever seen or heard of are also a pair
of my own; they measure 124 inches in length, but only
have a base measurement of 4} inches.

From being in the habit for many generations of walking
along almost imperceptible ledges on the face of precipices,
goats have developed into flat, slab-sided animals. They
are short in the neck, and though they can stand with
their heads above their shoulders if they want to, they
have become so accustomed to looking down below them
that they seldom so carry them. In all their movements
they are ungainly, and there is not the slightest trace of
grace in either their postures or actions. Their walk is
slow, leisurely, and methodical, and impresses you with
the idea that they are going somewhere with a fixed
purpose, which they intend to carry out without fail.
When walking, their greatest speed would not exceed two
miles an hour. If they are forced to hurry, and there is
nothing they dislike more, they do not trot, but break
into a clumsy sort of canter which, though by no means
productive of speed, carries them over the ground some-
what faster than it seems to, It is not until you have seen