THK ANGORA GOAT. 11 



The second group is subdivided iuto two subspecies^ — Capra fal- 

 coueri and Oapra mgdgru)<. The latter is also known as the Paseng, the 

 Bezoar goat, or wild goat of Persia, and is generally accepted as the 

 goat from which the Angora is descended through Capra hircus, which 

 is claimed to be the origin of all the common breeds of goats. 



As to the parent of the Angora stock, there is a diii'erence of opinion 

 between the two best-known wi"iters on the subject— John I>. Hayes, 

 author of The Angora Goat, etc. (1882), and S. C. Cronwright 

 Schreiner, author of The Angora Goat (1898). The one takes the 

 position that it is descended from Capra falcone?'!, the other from 

 Capra cegagrus. Owing to the additional information which has been 

 obtained since the appearance of Hayes's book and which is embodied 

 in Schreiner's work, there can hardly remain a doubt of the correct- 

 ness of the contention that the Angora goat descended from Cap>ra 

 (jegagrus. 



Schreiner, who has made extensive research, has described these 

 two subspecies as follows: 



Ca2:)ra falconeri has a beard which extends from the chin to the shoulders and 

 chest, and long spirally twisted horns, the twist being outward from the base. The 

 males, when old, become whitish all over. The ewes have a beard confined to the 

 chin, and small horns with a slight spiral twist. It is a native of the Western Hima- 

 layas, northern Afghanistan, and possibly of Persia; it is also found generally in 

 Cashmere and on the Tibetan side of the Himalayas. Fossil remains show that it 

 is one of the oldest types of goats. 



Capra segagrus'^ is chiefly remarkable for its enormous horns, which are larger pro- 

 portionally than in any other ruminant animal ; they approximate the triangular in 

 form, transversely rigid, and are bent backward as in the domestic varieties, being 

 scimitar-like in shape of curve, and having no spiral twist. Large horns of Capra 

 segagrus measure 40 inches along the curve, but a length of upward of 52i inches, with 

 a basal girth of 7 inches, has been recorded. It stands somewhat higher than any of 

 the domesticated varieties of the goat (an adult male stood 37 inches at the withers), 

 from which it further differs in its short and powerful neck, its stouter limbs, and 

 slender body. In the female the horns are exceedingly diminutive or are altogether 

 wanting. The fur, which over the greater part of the body is short, is of a grayish 

 brown color, with a black line running along the entire length of the back, while 

 the under surface of the neck and the beard, which is present in both sexes, afe of a 

 brown color. In the winter coat the hair on the neck and shoulders is rather longer 

 than elsewhere, and in the same season, in the colder part of the animal's habitat, a 

 coat of woolly fur is developed beneath the hair. 



1 There is evidence that in classic times this goat was widely distributed over the 

 Grecian Archipelago, although in Europe it is now found only in Crete, the island 

 of Antemelo, in the Cyclades, and perhaps also in Guire to the northeast of Euboea. 

 Eastward it is found in the hills and mountains of Asia Minor, being especially com- 

 mon in the Taurus range, and it extends thence through Persia into Baluchistan, 

 Sind, and Afghanistan. In India its range does not extend beyond the western side 

 of Sind. It is foxmd in Sind and Baluchistan in hills a little above the sea level; in 

 the mountains of Persia it ascends to an elevation of 11,000 feet to 12,000 feet. — 

 Schreiner. 



