GNEISS 



2517 



GOAT 



the Indians have called it the "no-see-um." 

 See MOSQUITO; HESSIAN FLY. 



GNEISS, nise. Gneiss is granite, with the 

 minerals comprising it quartz, feldspar and 

 mica arranged in layers (see GRANITE). The 

 layers may be straight or curved, and they 

 may be very thick. The layers of mica are 

 easily separated from the others. Much of 

 this rock is rich in ores, and large quantities 

 of gold, silver, copper, iron, antimony and 

 cobalt are obtained from it. Like granite, it 

 contains no fossils. Large crystals of feldspar 

 are found in some varieties, which are known 

 as porphyritic gneiss. 



The only difference between gneiss and gran- 

 ite is in structure. The minerals forming gran- 

 ite are distributed without apparent order; in 

 gneiss they are arranged in layers. Gneiss is 

 found in large quantities in all mountain sys- 

 tems. 



GNOMES, nohmz. In Norse mythology 

 fairy dwarfs, called gnomes, guarded the mines 

 and miners. The male gnomes, who were ugly 

 and misshapen, were condemned to live under- 

 ground all their lives, for if they appeared in 

 daylight they were turned to stone. Under 

 the leadership of Sindri they mined silver, 

 gold and precious stones, besides serving as 

 smiths for the gods. The women, who were 

 very good and beautiful, were only a foot 

 high, and were the special guardians of dia- 

 monds; occasionally some of them would creep 

 out to torment man, if he had been wicked. 

 Pope refers to the fabled gnomes in his Rape 

 of the Lock, as in the following quotation: 



Swift on his sooty pinions flits the gnome 

 And in a vapour reached the dismal dome. 



GNU, nu (from the Hottentot gnu, or wilde- 

 beest), is a species of antelope, resembling in 



THE GNU 



practically extinct, and the brindled gnu, still 

 to be found in the interior of Africa. They 

 travel in herds of thirty or forty, and appar- 

 ently are friendly with zebras and quaggas. In 

 common with the buffalo and the bull, gnus 

 are angered by the sight of scarlet. Their 

 flesh is said to be palatable and nourishing. 



GOAT, humorously called "the poor man's 

 cow," is a member of the sheep family. It is 

 a hardy animal and furnishes sweet, nourish- 

 ing, health-giving milk, edible flesh and a very 

 useful hide. It lives on food which other ani- 



form the horse, the buffalo and the antelope. 

 Both sexes have horns. There are two species 

 the common, or white-tailed variety, now 



mals will not touch. Though not quite the size 

 of sheep, goats are stronger and less timid, 

 and they move more quickly. They differ 

 from sheep in that their hollow horns are 

 erect and turned backward, their tails are 

 shorter, and the_ male is generally bearded 

 under the chin and has a peculiar odor. The 

 male goat is sometimes called billy goat; the 

 female, nanny goat. Wild goats live in moun- 

 tains and rocky places. Domestic goats, 

 thought to have originated from the wild 

 Persian species, are found all over the world, 

 great herds being kept in many parts of 

 Europe, Asia and Africa. They are often 

 trained to be pets and are harnessed to carts 

 and driven by children. In many places they 

 are used as beasts of burden. 



Although not highly esteemed in America 

 and frequently the object of levity, the goat 

 is a most valuable economic creature, for 

 reasons given in the opening sentences of this 

 article. Goat's milk nourishes more people, 

 probably, than does cow's milk, throughout 

 the world; those who become accustomed to 

 the former will not of choice use the latter. 

 For this reason, when natives of North Africa 

 responded to France's call for soldiers in 1914 

 in the War of the Nations, it was necessary to 

 maintain herds of goats near the fighting lines 

 to furnish milk for them. 



