Chapter VIII. 



The Cashmere or "ShaWl" Coat. 



THERE are several varieties of this goat; but the true 

 Cashmere is the goat ol Thibet, which is met with 

 generally between the principal and secondary ranges of 

 the Himalayas, near the regions of perpetual snow, some 

 i5,oooft. above sea- level. 



It has often been supposed .that the Cashmere is 

 identical with the Angora, but this is quite a mistake. 

 Some naturalists, as already observed, regard it as 

 descended from the .same wild goat, i.e., Ca-pra falconeri, 

 which may not be improbable, seeing that this animal 

 frequented the mountains of Thibet, and that both domestic 

 breeds are wool-bearers. Beyond this, however, the two 

 goats have little in common, and even in regard to their 

 fleece there is an important distinction, for whilst in the 

 Angora it is the outer covering that is of a woolly nature 

 and manufactured, in the Cashmere it is the undergrowth 

 which is fleecy and utilised in commerce, the outer cover- 

 ing being hair-like in the common breeds, and compara- 

 tively valueless. In many respects, indeed, the Cashmere 

 presents a much stronger resemblance to the common goat 

 than to the Angora. It is a rather small race, with hair 

 measuring from 4in. to 5in. in length, generally white, 

 with sometimes reddish patches on the neck and shoulders. 

 A few specimens of this breed were on view at the 



