354 THE COMMON GOAt. 



skins are often substituted*. The reason why 

 Goats' skins have been principally adopted for the 

 manufacture of this leather, is, that they take the 

 dye better, and are susceptible of richer colours, 

 than the skins of any other animals. 



As the fleece of the Common Goats is by no 

 means considered so valuable as that of the Sheep, 

 the animals have not hitherto been reared in any 

 part of Great Britain with a view towards deriving 

 emoluments from this. With respect to its ex- 

 cellence, however, we are furnished with some in- 

 teresting information by Dr. Anderson. This inde- 

 fatigable observer has remarked, that there are, in 

 England, two varieties of Goats, which are almost 

 equally common. One of these has short, stiff hair; 

 and the other a long, rough and shaggy coat, usu- 

 ally either mottled or wholly of a grey colour, the 

 skins of which are chiefly employed for making 

 soldiers' knapsacks. In the latter variety there is a 

 fine soft kind of wool, which grows at the roots of 

 the long hair. This, it is a curious fact, is hitherto 

 scarcely known to any persons of our country, 

 The inhabitants of many parts of Russia, however, 

 have been long acquainted with it, and for several 

 years back have been in the practice of separating 



* Pallas's Travels in Southern Russia, translated by Blagdcn, iv~ 

 p. 264. 



