NATURAL 
offspring. It is alfo probable, that 
» the bouquetin is the origin of all 
the goat genus, becaufe it is the 
largelt, ftrongeit, and dwells in the 
'moft imhofpitable regions. For, 
according to the obfervation of the 
' fame great zoologilt *, whom wehave 
fo often quoted, thofe animals who 
are natives of the coldeft mountains 
muft, on defcending into the warm 
plains, be liable to greater changes 
_than thofe who are formed for mild- 
er climates; and this circumftance 
feems fuficient to account for the 
great variety obfervable in the goat 
genus. 
. Some naturalifts pretend, that she 
-bouquetin cannot be the original 
_ftock from whence the goats have 
been produced, becaufe, as he in- 
habits only the loftieft {ummits and 
tocks covered with eternal fnow, 
and feeds only on plants peculiar to 
_ high regions, he cannot be domef- 
ticated in a variety of climates, 
Bet this opinion is contraditted by 
fact and experience. Stumpf, the 
_hiftorian of Switzerland, informs us, 
that the Vallaifans near Sion bred 
up tame bougquetins with their 
goats; and Belon relates, that the 
__Cretans tamed the young bouc- 
eftains by giving them to be fuck- 
led by the, goats. Dr. Pallas alfo 
relates, that he has frequently feen 
_the Siberian ibex among the tame 
goats, and mentions one in parti- 
cular at Orenburgh, which was 
leader of a flock, and father of a 
“numerous offspring more refemb- 
ling the females than himfelf. He 
Was very different from the tame 
he-goats, fcarcely inferior in fize to 
_a bouquetin. two years old: in co- 
Aour and ftrength he refembled the 
, 
tins at Aigle. 
HISTORY. 63 
wild animal; had thick horns, 
knobbed, not keeled above, and a 
long rough coat, but no where pen- 
dent, except im the beard: the 
black lift on the back was almek 
obliterated. And laftly, Mr, van 
Berchem faw feveral tame botque- 
They were gentle 
and familiar; and, without being 
remarkably lively, were activeand 
graceful in all their motions. ‘They 
bred with different fhe-goats, ind 
Mr. van Berchem faw the yotng 
ones, which feemed to form a mew 
TAGES) ny 
If thefe obfervations fhould be 
well founded, the goat genus, or 
race of the bouquetin, is found an 
a wild ftate. along the. chain of 
mountains that traverfes the tempe- 
rate parts both of Europe and Afas 
on the Alps, Pyrenees, and Car- 
pathian mountains ; on the Taurus 
and Caucafus; on the mountains of 
Siberia and Tartary; in Kamt- 
{chatka; on the iflands of the Archi- 
pelago; in Hedsjzas in Arabia; in 
pane perhaps in 2gypt and Ly- 
ja. 
Account of the Tabafheer, in a Letter 
from Patrick Rutlell, J.D. F.R8. 
From the Philofophical TranfaMtians, 
Vol. \xxx. Part 2. 
a> Se a drug in high re- 
pute in many parts of the 
Eatt, was, I believe, firit introduced ~ 
to the knowledge of the weltera 
world through the works of the 
Arabian phyticians, all, of whore 
mention it as an important article 
in their Materia Medica; and, froin | 
what I could obferve in Syria, ic 
* Pallas. 
fill 
