THE HORNED ANIMALS— GOATS, 



457 





observed had beards. The usual color of the animal 

 is a vivid, reddish brown. This Goat is extensively 

 bred in all the lower Nile valley as tar up as central 

 Nubia, where another breed supplants it. 



The Dwarf Goat This is the Dwarf Goat {Capra hircus 

 of Northern reversa), which measures at most 

 Africa. twenty-eight inches in length and 



twenty inches in height at the withers, and docs not 

 exceed fifty pounds in weight. It is one of the most 

 graceful in physical form of the entire group. It 

 has a stout body, short, vigorous legs, and a broad 

 head. Dwarf Goats of both sexes have short horns, 

 barely as long as a Alan's finger. The fur is com- 

 posed of rather short but thickset hair of dark color, 

 the prevailing hues being black, mingled with hair 

 of a subdued red tint. This breed is probably indig- 

 enous to the country lying between the White Nile 

 and the Niger. 



Because their usefulness 

 has been recognized by 

 people of all nations, the 

 domestic Goats are now 

 found in nearly all parts 

 of the globe, and are sure 

 to be included among the 

 domestic animals of all na- 

 tions, the people of which 

 lead settled lives. Goats 

 exist under the most va- 

 ried circumstances, though 

 the majority of species live 

 in flocks which graze at 

 will during the day and are 

 kept under human super- 

 vision at night. Goats that 

 have reverted to a wild 

 state are probably found 

 only on some of the mount- 

 ains of southern Asia and 

 a few of the least frequent- 

 ed islands of the Mediter- 

 ranean. 



The far-famed Goats of 

 the Pacific island of Juan 

 Fernandez ( made famous 

 by Defoe as the scene of 

 the adventures of Robin- 

 son Crusoe ) are the de- 

 scendants of a few Goats 

 which were left there by 

 Juan Fernandez, the dis- 

 coverer of the island, in 

 1 563. Their new moun- 

 tainous home seemed to 



fully meet the requirements of these Goats, which 

 multiplied exceedingly. 

 Traits and Attn- The Goat is especially adapted to 

 butes of the mountain life. The wilder a mount- 

 Goafs. a j n ; S] anc [ tj le steeper and rougher 

 its surface, the better a Goat seems to thrive on it. 

 In.jsouthcrn Europe and in the temperate portions 

 of other continents scarcely a mountain range can 

 be visited without encountering flocks of grazing 

 Goats. 



The attributes of the Goat greatly differ from 

 those of the Sheep, to which it is so closely allied. 

 The Goat is a lively, capricious, inquisitive, playful 

 creature, disposed to indulge in antics and cut 

 capers which are amusing to the unprejudiced ob- 

 server. Lenz has depicted its character in an ad 



old, displays a propensity for embarking in perilous 

 undertakings, in addition to indulging in many odd 

 pranks. An innate longing ever impels the Goats 

 upward, and their greatest pleasure is to climb 

 heaps of wood or stones, walls, rocks or stairs. 

 Frequently it is barely or not at all possible for a 

 Goat to descend from an eminence to which it has 

 laboriously climbed. It knows no dizziness, and 

 without concern walks or lies down by the edge of 

 the most frightful precipices. The fights in which, 

 on first meeting, horned males or even she Goats 

 engage are fierce enough to inspire spectators with 

 uneasiness." 



Likes and Dis- The Goat has a natural affection for 



likes of the human beings, and it is of a vain 



Goat. nature and highly susceptible to 



caresses. In the high mountains it importunately 



muzzle from other species of Goats has been by some naturalists classed as a separate genus under the name of 

 Half Goat {Hemitragus). It is a large beast about seventy inches long and thirty-four inches high at the shoulders. 

 Its wild life is little known, but it is easily tamed. {Capra or Hemitragus jemlaica.) 



accompanies a traveler, sometimes for half an hour, 

 cuddling to his side, and he who responds to its 

 mute appeals and gives it somethniL' to its liking is 

 never forgotten and is always greeted joyfully when- 

 ever he comes again. If a Goat knows that it is a 

 favorite with its master, it is as jealous as a spoiled 

 Dog and attacks and butts any other Goat toward 

 which the master shows a preference. It is intelli- 

 gent and sagacious, and is perfectly aware whether 

 it has been wrongfully treated or justly punished. 

 Trained Goats readily assume their harness, but de- 

 cidedly and obstinately refuse to work if they are 

 teased or tormented. The intelligence of these sa- 

 gacious animals goes even farther. It is well known 

 that trained Goats perform a wide range of tricks on 

 command, but I can positively assert, from my own 

 irable way: " Even a small kid, only a few weeks experience, that they give, as it were, spoken an- 



