56 The 'Book of the Goat. 

 1 



paratively small when they are transported to other parts. 

 Thus, although largely met with in Tunis and Algeria as 

 well as in some parts of Italy and also in Spain, the milk 

 supply from the Maltese goat in the hands of the Arabs 

 and others is not what it is in Malta, and this has been 

 equally the case in England. 



Milking in Malta is always performed from behind, 

 and not at the side of, the goat, the long thin-skinned 

 udder, which sometimes nearly touches the ground, 

 naturally lending itself to this method, which could not be 

 conveniently adopted with a spherically-shaped bag. 



The Maltese goat years ago, before the law precluded 

 the importation of such animals into this country, was 

 not infrequently seen in England, as a great many were 

 shipped on to yachts and steamers for supplying milk on 

 board, and so brought into this country. The specimens 

 I myself possessed in the early 'eighties were obtained 

 through this means, having been sent to me by the late 

 Lady Brassey, who had always three or four on board her 

 yacht The Sunbeam. These goats have also been imported 

 largely into India and a few into America. 



The -illustration on page 55 shows an interesting 

 group of three typical Maltese goats with a woman goat- 

 herd of the same nationality, taken from a photograph, 

 for which I have to thank the Hon. Rose Hubbard. 



Further information on this breed of goat will be 

 found in the chapter on " Goats and the Malta Fever." 



Spanish Goats. 



Spain, like other countries bordering on an extensive 

 range of mountains, possesses a great number of goats, 

 most of which are of the common type. Crepin, 

 however, credits this country with three special breeds, 

 which he says are of Mauritanian origin, viz., the Murcien, 

 the Grenada, and La Mancha, the last differing from 



