The Goat. 147 



variety of the common species. The horns of the Ewe 

 are twisted also, but not so much as those of the Ram, 

 which form, near the head, a spiral line. The wool is 

 much longer than that of the common Sheep, and 

 resembles the hair of the goat. A fine Earn of this 

 species was presented some years since to the Zoological 

 Gardens in the Regent's park, by Dr. Bowring. It is 

 there called the Parnassian Sheep, having been brought 

 from Mount Parnassus. 



THE ARGALI, OR WILD SHEEP OF ASIA, 



in figure somewhat resembles a ram, but his wool is 

 rather like the hair of a goat. His horns are large and 

 bent backwards, and his tail is short. He is of the size 

 of a small deer, active, swift, wild, and found in flocks in 

 the rocky, dry deserts of Asia. His flesh and fat are 

 delicious. He is called also the Siberian Sheep or Goat, 

 and is considered by some to be the parent stock of the 

 domestic Sheep. 



THE GOAT. (Capra hircus.) 



THE Goat, next to the cow and the sheep, has been al- 

 ways reckoned, especially in ancient and patriarchal 

 times, the most useful domestic animal. Its milk is 

 sweet, nourishing, and medicinal, and better adapted for 

 persons of weak digestion than that of the cow, as it is 

 not so apt to curdle on the stomach. The female has 

 generally two young ones at a time, which are called 

 kids. This animal is admirably adapted for living in 



