22 The 'Book of the Goat. 



suggested for a breed which it is desirable to develop by 

 selection from the so-called common goats now in this 

 country. It is known that among these goats there are often 

 found some excellent milkers, although their origin is ob- 

 scure. . . These are the kind of goats that should be selected 

 as a foundation for the American breed, and if their milk 

 characteristics were further increased by crossing with 

 either the pure -bred Toggenburg or Saanen bucks which are 

 now in this country we should soon see a breed that would 

 produce a satisfactory amount of milk and at the same time 

 have all the hardiness possessed by our common goats." 

 This is quite right, but it will 'be seen that the animal here 

 mentioned as a breed is at present an ideal one and await- 

 ing development. It is, therefore, rather curious to find 

 in this book an illustration depicting a group of white goats 

 of a certain uniform type with the title : " American Milch 

 Goats." Similarly we find an illustration of a herd of 

 " Australian goats " with drooping ears, though we know 

 that the goat is no more indigenous to Australia than to 

 North America, and goat-keeping has probably been intro 

 duced into Australasia only during the last decade. 



From the foregoing remarks it will be seen that I am 

 not in favour of grouping the breeds into sections, as 

 adopted by the earlier French writers, as I fail to see how 

 this can be consistently carried out. I shall therefore 

 make no attempt at classification, but content myself with 

 describing the breeds and varieties of each country possess- 

 ing features of interest and points of distinction* 



