GOATS. 297 



the intestines of goats, was greatly valued as a cnre for 

 most disorders. It was called the bezoar stone, and 

 was a concretion chiefly of resinous bile and magnesia, 

 and the rest, inert vegetable matter. It was sold for 

 ten times its weight in gold, and was said to come from 

 some unknown animal, to increase the mystery belong- 

 ing to it. Bezoars are now found in oxen, sheep, horses, 

 porcupines, and even the human subject, slightly vary- 

 ing in their construction, and are often balls of hair 

 which has been licked off the animal's own coat. 



The Angora and Cappadocian Goats are famed for 

 their long, silky hair, which yields beautiful manufac- 

 tures ; but they are far surpassed by the goats of Thibet, 

 the under wool of which is combed off, and made into 

 those shawls which have for years been so famous and 

 costly. It takes the produce of ten goats to make a 

 shawl a yard and a half square. The wool is bleached 

 with rice flour ; and the heavy taxes levied upon them, 

 makes these unequalled shawls keep up their high price. 

 From the earliest times we read of goat's hair being 

 woven into cloth of varied quality, especially in scrip- 

 tural writings ; and their skins have always afforded 

 valuable leather. That of the kid is of the finest quality. 



All goats are hardy and wandering in their habits, 

 and frequent those places where no other animal could 

 gain a footing. They exist in a feral state in the moun- 

 tainous parts of our island, and throughout Europe 

 and Western Asia. There is always much attachment 

 between them and horses, when domesticated. Some 

 say it is in consequence of the strong odour which is 

 emitted by goats ; and others, because the horse, who so 

 loves companionship, delights in their vivacity. They 

 vigorously defend their young, as the following anecdote 



