GOAT.—Hircus Aigagrus. 
The members of the genus Hircus may be distinguished from the ibex and the sheep 
by the peculiar formation of their horns, which are compressed, are rounded behind, and 
furnished with a well-developed keel in front. In some instances the keel is ragged, or 
appears like a series of knobs, but in all cases it is prominently conspicuous. 
There are an enormous number of varieties of the common domestic GOAT, many of 
them being so unlike the original stock from which they sprang as to appear like a 
different species. For the present, we will turn to the common Goat of Europe, with 
which we are all so familiar, This animal is often seen domesticated, especially in and 
about stables, as there is a prevalent idea that the rank smell of the Goat is beneficial to 
horses. Be this as it may, the animal seems quite at home in a stable, and a very firm 
friendship often arises between the Goat and one of the horses. Sometimes it gets so 
petted by the frequenters of the stables, that it becomes presumptuous, and assaults any 
one whom it may not happen to recognise as a friend. Happily, a Goat, however 
belligerent he may be, is easily conquered if his beard can only be grasped, and when he 
is thus captured, he yields at once to his conqueror, assumes a downcast air, and bleats in 
a very pitiful tone, as if asking for mercy. 
* At the Cape of Good Hope, large flocks of these animals are kept, and are extremely 
sagacious, needing no goat-herd to watch them, and are altogether more wise than sheep. 
In the morning they sally out upon their foraging expeditions, and in the evening they 
voluntarily return. It is said that Goats are the only animals that will boldly face fire, 
and that their chief use in a stable is to lead the horses from the stalls in case of the 
stables being burned. Horses are such nervous, excitable animals, that when their 
dwelling has taken fire they cannot be induced to face the dreaded element, and must see 
some other animal lead the way before they will dare to stir. It is also said, and apparently 
with reason, that in case of fire, a horse may be easily removed from the scene of danger 
by harnessing him as usual, instead of trying to lead him out at once. The animal has 
learned to connect obedience and trustfulness with the harness, and while he bears the 
bit in his mouth, and the saddle or traces on his back, he will go wherever he may be led. 
Blindfolding the horse is another good method of inducing the animal to follow its guide 
without hesitation. 
