214 The 'Book of the Goat. 



borne kids or even having been mated, and such a flow 

 may be maintained for a considerable period. The cause 

 of this cannot always be explained, but it must be due to 

 excitation of the mammary gland in some way or other. 

 Thus, if the goat contracts the habit of sucking its 

 own teats, as stated above, a flow of milk may soon be 

 artificially induced ; and, similarly, if the teats of one of 

 these animals are frequently handled, as in the action of 

 milking, the same result will probably accrue. When such 

 cases occur it is generally with quite young goats, but a 

 letter received recently from a lady residing in Aberdeen- 

 shire tells of one in connection with an aged goat. My 

 correspondent writes as follows : 



"A- friend of mine was given a handsome she-kid 

 fourteen years ago to draw a child's goat-carriage, and 

 since then she has lived contentedly in the field with the 

 cows. The animal has never had any kids, no he- 

 goat having been in the neighbourhood; but last year 

 her udder was observed to be very much inflated, and 

 on being milked she yielded a quart and a half. 

 She was milked once a day for a short time, and then 

 it was discontinued, as no large quantity came after the 

 first milking. This summer, however, the teats became 

 again much inflated, and over two quarts were obtained 

 at the first milking. The milk has no smell, and looks 

 perfectly good, but no one has ventured to taste it. The 

 goat herself appears to be in perfect health. Is this at 

 all a usual occurrence?" 



With a goat at the late stage of life stated this is 

 certainly a most unusual occurrence; but in these cases 

 there seems no valid reason why the milk should not be 

 utilised in the ordinary way for domestic consumption, 

 after a regular flow has been encouraged, though the first 

 accumulation in the udder would doubtless be better 

 thrown away. 



