346 



BRANCH CHORDATA 



Geologically, goats are traced back to the Pliocene. Their distribution is 

 limited and varied, owing chiefly to their mountain-loving nature. Their 

 different environments and tendeni;y to vary have given rise to many and 

 very various breeds of the domestic goat. 



The goats of central Asia, living in a climate of great extremes of tempera- 

 ture, furnish the fine wool of Cashmere and Thibet, which is their under coat. 

 The Angora goat of Asia Minor furnishes millions of pounds annually of 

 long silky hair. The cashmeres and mohairs of our stores are from goat 

 hair and wool. The leather from goat hide is alwaj's valuable, especially 

 that of morocco, while the skin of the kid is valued for gloves. The goat 

 has for many centuries been used as a domestic animal. It supplies an 

 abundance of good milk, rich in cheese-making casein, and requires much 

 less food than the cow. In southern Europe herds of goats are driven from 

 house to house and milked at the door of each customer, and then driven 



Fig. 281. — Rocky Mountain goat {Haploc'tros monla'nus). 



back to pasture. The goat readily cleaves to the household and exhibits 

 more intelligence than other members of our flocks and herds. 



The chamois of the European Alps and the Rocky Mountain goat (Fig. 

 281) are described as goat antelopes. The Rocky Mountain goat is the 

 nearest we have to the goat, for this is not a true goat nor a true antelope. 

 It is twice as large as a goat and looks much like a miniature buffalo, only 

 its pelage is pure white, soft, and fine. Its hoofs, horns, and nose are black. 

 "It has high shoulders, low hind-quarters, thick legs, and neck. It carries 

 its head low. Its face is long." The small, angular hoofs consist of a 

 pad inside and a knife-edge outside, equally adapted to snow or bare 

 rock. It "inhabits thr grassy belt of high mountains just above timber line, 

 and loves the dangerous ice-covered slopes," being able to ascend almost 

 perpendicular precipices. It is exceedingly difficult to capture and does not 

 live long in captivity. "It is now found in only Idaho, Washington, and 



