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GOATSUCKER GOD SAVE THE KING. 



also an article of considerable importance. It 

 is murlt purer and finer than that of the ox or sheep, 

 and furnishes much whiter and better candles. The 

 Cashmere goat, as its name indicates, is a native of 

 the kingdom of Cashmere ; it is smaller than the 

 common domestic goat, and has long, silky, fine hair, 

 not curled, as in the Angora goat. This variety has 

 been successfully introduced into France, where it 

 has bred with another variety, equally valuable, the 

 Thibet goat From these animals are procured the 

 materials for the manufacture of Cashmere shawls. 

 (See Cashmere Goat.) The Angora goat is also 

 furnished with soft, silky hair, of a silver-white colour, 

 hanging down in curling locks eight or nine inches 

 long. Its horns are in a spiral form, and extend 

 laterally. It is remarkable, that not only the goat, 

 but even the sheep and hare, of Angora, have longer 

 and softer hair than the same animals in any other 

 part of the world. From the wool of this goat, the 

 finest camlets are made. Syria affords a peculiar 

 variety of the goat, of which but little is known. The 

 ears are usually between one and two feet in length, 

 and are sometimes so troublesome to the animal, that 

 the owners are obliged to trim them. This variety 

 appears to have been known to Aristotle. There 

 are several other varieties of the common goat, which 

 it is needless to enumerate. There is a species in 

 North America, which has given rise to much differ- 

 ence of opinion as to its proper place in a system of 

 arrangement. Mr Ord, who first described it, called 

 it ovis montana. Blainville first termed it rupicapra 

 Americana, and afterwards antelope Americana ; 

 whilst Hamilton Smith, although he retains the latter 

 genus, bestows another specific name on it, viz., 

 lanigera ; and, lastly, doctor Godman classes it as a 

 goat, properly retaining the original specific name 

 given it by Mr Ord. The first notice of'this animal 

 was given by Lewis and Clarke, and it has since been 

 noticed by major Long, doctor Richardson, &c. The 

 Rocky mountain goat nearly equals in size a common 

 sheep, and has a shaggy appearance, in consequence 

 of the protrusion of the long hair beyond the wool, 

 which is white and soft. Its horns are about five 

 inches long, conical, somewhat curved backwards, 

 and projecting but slightly beyond the wool of the 

 head. In a communication, made by major Long, to 

 the Philadelphia Agricultural Society, he states that 

 it occurs in that part of the Rocky mountains which 

 lie between 48 and 68 north latitude. They are 

 in great numbers about the head waters of the 

 Columbia, and furnish the principal part of the food 

 of the natives of that district. They appear to be 

 more numerous on the western than on the eastern 

 side of the mountains, and are rarely seen in the 

 plains. They are easily obtained by the hunters. The 

 skin is very thick and spongy, and is principally used 

 in the making of moccasons. It is said the fleece 

 of this goat is as fine as that of the goat of Cash- 

 mere. 



GOATSUCKER (caprimulgus). This bird, whose 

 congenera are so well known with us, under the 

 names of night-hawk, whip-poor-will (q. v), &c., is 

 found on every part of the. continent, from Siberia 

 to Africa. Like the owl, it is seldom seen in the day- 

 time, unless disturbed, or in dark and gloomy days, 

 when its eyes are not dazzled by the bright rays of 

 the sun. As night insects are its food, namely, moths, 

 gnats and beetles, it is peculiarly formed to enable it 

 to catch them on the wing. For this purpose, nature 

 has bestowed on it a mouth of great comparative 

 size. When the animal flies, it is continually open, 

 and has no need of being shut, to secure any insect, 

 as it is surrounded on the inner side with a glutinous 

 substance, that prevents their escape. This manner 

 of flying with its mouth open, is the occasion of that 



whirring noise, which this bird makes while chnsing 

 its prey. It arises from the resistance made to the 

 mouth by the air ; and is more or less loud, accord- 

 ing to the velocity with which the bird moves. When 

 perched, it usually sits on a bare twig, with its head 

 lower than its tail, and, in this attitude, utters a jar- 

 ring note, whence one of its common names night- 

 jar. Sometimes it utters a weak, plaintive squeak, 

 which it repeats four or five times in succession, which 

 is probably its note of call to its mate. Buffon says, 

 it does not perch like other birds, sitting across a 

 branch, but lengthwise. It is solitary in its habits, 

 and is generally seen alone. Mr White supposes 

 that its foot is useful in taking its prey, as he obser- 

 ved that it frequently puts forth its leg whilst on the 

 wing, and seems to convey something to its mouth. 

 These birds frequent moors and wild heathy tracts 

 abounding in fern ; they make no nest, but the female 

 deposits her eggs on the ground ; she lays two or 

 three, which are of a dull white, spotted with brown. 

 Montbelliard, who wrote this bird's history for Buf- 

 fon, states, that it no sooner perceives its retreat to 

 be discovered by an enemy, than it carefully rolls its 

 eggs to a more secure situation. Its common name 

 of goat-sucker, has no other foundation than ignor- 

 ance and superstition. The colours of this bird, 

 though plain, have a beautiful effect from the ele- 

 gance of their disposition, consisting of black, white, 

 brown, grey and ferruginous, disposed in the forms 

 of bars, spots and streaks. The male is distinguished 

 from the female by an oval white spot, near the end 

 of the three first quill-feathers. It is about ten inches 

 and a half in length, and weighs about two ounces. 



GOBELIN, GILES ; a dyer of Paris, in the reign of 

 Francis I. He lived in the fauxbourg St Marceau 

 (where his house, and the little stream that flows by 

 it, still bear his name), and is said to have discovered 

 the secret of dyeing that beautiful scarlet colour 

 which is called after him. The Gobelin tapestries 

 derived their name from him. This manufacture, 

 which was established by Colbert, in 1667, and placed 

 under the direction of the painter Le Bran, is still one 

 of the most celebrated in Paris. Its productions 

 excel every thing of the kind in Europe. Many 

 celebrated paintings of the old Italian, French and 

 Spanish schools, have, in the most ingenious manner, 

 been transferred to tapestry. The splendour of the 

 colours and the delicacy of the execution are wonder- 

 ful, and one can hardly conceive how it is possible, 

 in tapestry, to imitate so nearly the appearance of 

 oil colours. The establishment is carried on at the 

 expense of government, and the pieces of tapestry are 

 mostly bestowed as presents. 



GOBY (gobius, Lin.). These fish belong to the 

 acanthopterygiens (Cuv.). They are marine, gene- 

 rally of a medium or small size, and mostly with a 

 simple air bladder. They are distinguished by their 

 ventral and thoracic fins being either united in their 

 whole length, or at their bases. The spines of their 

 dorsal fins are flexible ; the openings of their ears, 

 with four rays. Like the blenny, they can live for 

 a long time out of water. There is much confusion 

 in their arrangement. It appears to be a numerous 

 genus, which has not been sufficiently elucidated. 

 None of the species is much esteemed as food. 



GOD, TRUCE OF. See Truce. 



GOD SAVE THE KING ; the burden and com- 

 mon appellation of a well known English national 

 song. Concerning the author and the composer, 

 opinions differ. It has been asserted that Henry 

 Carey, who lived about the middle of the eighteenth 

 century, was both ; but, being ignorant of the rules 

 of composition, employed doctor Thornton, of Bath, 

 or, according to some, Christopher Smith, Handel's 

 clerk, to correct his rough draught, and add the bass. 



