29ftt0narjj of 



265 



rostris, is rather larger than a partridge, and 

 has the head, neck, breast, and belly, of a 

 glossy green black ; the back, wings, tail, 



GHATEODON 8 IIUQIROSTRIS. 



and under tail-coverts, of a deep chestnut 

 red : the beak and naked part round the 

 eye are of a yellowish colour. It is believed 

 to be a native of one of the South Sea 

 Islands ; and the Didunculus< found by the 

 recent American Voyage of Discovery under 

 C. Wilkes, is thought to be the same bird. 



GNU. (Bosdaphus Gnu.) A very singular 

 species of Antelope, which, at first sight, 

 appears to be a monstrous being, compounded 

 of parts of different animals. Its general 

 colour is a deep umber-brown, approaching 

 to black. It is four feet in height, having 

 the body and crupper of a small horse, and 

 is covered with brown hair ; the tail is fur- 

 nished with long white hairs (.like a horse), 

 and on the neck is a beautiful flowing mane, 

 white at the base, and black at the tips. Its 

 horns, approximated and enlarged at the 

 base, descend outwardly, and turn up at the 

 point ; the muzzle is large, flat, and sur- 

 rounded by a circle of projecting hairs ; 

 under the throat and dewlap is another 

 black mane ; and the legs are as light and 

 Blender as those of a stag. The Gnus in- 

 habit the wild karoos of South Africa and 



>ra.) 



i the hilly districts, where they roam mostly 



; in large herds, and migrate according to the 



; season. They are naturally wild and dif- 



i ficult of approach ; and when first alarmed, 



; they fling up their heels and plunge about 



i like a restive horse : they soon, however, 



I take to flight, and traverse the desert with 



, such astonishing celerity not in a tumul- 



tuous mass, but in single file, following 

 a leader that they are quickly out of dan- 

 ger. When wounded they will sometimes 

 turn upon the hunter and pursue him in 

 turn, darting forwards on their assailant 

 with amazing force and impetuosity, so that 

 it requires the utmost coolness on his part 

 to evade the attack. When taken young, 

 this animal is easily domesticated. 



GOAT. (Copra hircus.) The distin- 

 guishing characters in the genus Capra in 

 the Linmi'an system of Zoology are, that 

 the horns are hollow, turned upwards, and 

 annulated on their surfaces ; that there are 

 eight cutting teeth in the lower jaw, and 

 none in the upper ; and that the male is 

 generally bearded. In its domestic state 

 the Goat is found in almost every part of the 

 globe, bearing the extremes of heat and cold, 

 and differing in size and form according to 

 various circumstances ; the horns generally 

 having a curvature outwards towards the 

 tips. 



Buffon's account of this animal is strik- 

 ingly descriptive. " The Goat," says he, 

 " is superior to the sheep both in sentiment 

 and dexterity. He approaches man spon- 

 taneously, and is easily familiarized. He is 

 sensible of caresses, and capable of a con- 

 siderable degree of attachment. He is 

 stronger, lighter, more agile, and less timid 

 than the sheep. He is a sprightly, capri- 

 cious, wandering, wanton animal. It is 

 with much difficulty that he can be confined, 

 and he loves to retire into solitude, and to 

 climb, stand, and even sleep, on rugged and 

 lofty eminences. He is robust and easily 

 nourished, for he eats almost every herb, and 

 is injured by very few. His bodily temper- 

 ament, which in all animals has a great 

 influence on the natural disposition, is not 

 essentially different from that of the sheep. 

 These two animals, whose internal organ- 

 ization is almost entirely similar, are nou- 

 rished, grow, and multiply in the same 

 manner ; and their diseases are the same, 

 excepting a few, to which the Goat is not 

 subject. The Goat fears not, like the sheep, 

 too great a degree of heat. He cheerfully 

 exposes himself to the sun, and sleeps under 

 his most ardent rays without being affected 

 with the vertigo or any_ other inconveniency. 

 He is not afraid of rain or storms ; but he 

 appears to feel the effects of severe cold. 

 The inconstancy of his disposition is marked 

 by the irregularity of his actions. He walks, 

 stops short, runs, leaps, approaches or re- 

 tires, shows or conceals himself, or flies off, 

 as if actuated by mere caprice, and without 

 any other cause than what arises from an 

 eccentric vivacity of temper. The supple- 

 ness of his organs, and the strength and 

 nervousness of his frame, are hardly suffi- 

 cient to support the petulance and rapidity 

 of his natural movements." 



The original stock of the Common Goat, 

 as of other races of animals early subjugated 

 by Man, cannot be distinctly traced ; but it 

 appears to be the same with that of numerous 

 half-domesticated breeds, which abound in 

 Asia. Mr. Bell, in his History of British 

 Quadrupeds, remarks, that " most modern 



