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Ereatfurg nf Natural 



zoologists who have paid much attention to 

 the question, and who have brought to the 

 consideration of it all the helps which recent 

 discoveries in philosophical zoology have 

 furnished, have leaned to the belief that the 

 ^Egagrus, or Wild Goat of the mountains of 

 Caucasus and of Persia, is the true original 

 stock. The zoological characters of this 

 animal certainly bear a closer resemblance 

 to those of the domestic breeds ; and it is 

 worthy of remark, that the horns of the 

 Persian Domestic Goat, though smaller, are 

 similar in form to those of the Paseng or 

 jEgagrus. The arguments which have been 

 urged from the intermixture of the Ibex with 

 the Common Goat are at present of little 

 value ; as the facts recorded are very defi- 

 cient. The large Goats which are reported 

 to have been brought from the Alps and the 

 Pyrenees to the Garden of Plants in Paris, 

 and which were stated to have been wild, 

 the Ibex with 

 Goat, 



e probably the progeny of 

 Common Goat, as there is no proof of 



the existence of the true ^Egagrus in Europe. 

 These were found to be capable of producing 

 offspring, and the details are given by Mr. 

 Fred. Cuvier with great clearness ; but the 

 old fault still remains ; the question is not 

 set at rest by these observations ; for we are 

 only informed that they produce offspring, 

 without any statement whether they will 

 breed inter se, or only with the Common 

 Goat. The progeny, however, were either 

 prematurely brought forth, or lived only a 

 short time in a sick and languishing condi- 

 tion." 



" The condition of the Goat, in some parts 

 of our own islands," says the same intelli- 

 gent and accurate writer, " is much more 

 wild than that of any other of our domestic 

 animals. In the mountains of Wales espe- 

 cially the Wild Goats roam over the most 

 inaccessible parts of the mountains and rocks, 

 without the slightest appearance of domes- 

 tication, or of having been deduced from a 

 domestic stock. It is a hardy, active, power- 

 ful animal ; capable of maintaining its foot- 

 ing on the smallest point on which its feet 

 can possibly rest, and of taking considerable 

 leaps with the utmost certainty of safely 

 alighting, although the spot which it desires 

 to attain be perhaps but the rugged point or 

 ledge of a precipice. It will thus find its 

 food in places inaccessible to almost all other 

 animals, and live and thrive by cropping the 

 scanty herbage which they furnish. In the 

 mountain ranges of Europe, on the Alps and 

 Pyrenees, the Goat is found at a great eleva- 

 tion, approaching as near the line of per- 

 petual snow as it can find the scanty means 

 of its sustenance ; and it feeds on many 

 plants which to other ruminants are distaste- 

 ful, and even deleterious : thus, hemlock, 

 henbane, and digitalis is eaten by it with 

 impunity, and even the acrid euphorbia is 

 not rejected." 



The milk of the Goat is sweet, nutritive, 

 and medicinal ; this may be accounted for 

 from the animal's food being chiefly derived 

 from the heathy mountains and shrubby 

 pastures, where sweet and aromatic herbs 

 abound. In ancient times the skin of the 

 Goat was regarded as a most useful article of 



clothing : it is still manufactured into the 

 best Turkey or Morocco leather ; while that 

 of the kid (whose flesh is regarded as a deli- 

 cacy) forms the softest and most beautiful 

 leather for gloves, &c. The usual colour of 

 the domestic Goat is black and white, or a 

 pale reddish-brown, with a black stripe 

 down the back ; but sometimes brown, white, 

 or spotted. In old males the beard is very 

 long ; and the horns, which are transversely 

 rugose, bending outwards and falling back, 

 are sometimes nearly three feet long. 



We find that the Common Goat inhabits 

 most parts of the world, either native or 

 naturalized. It endures all kinds of weather, 

 being found in Europe as high as Wardhuys, 

 in Norway, where it feeds during the winter 

 season on moss, the bark of fir trees, and 

 even of logs intended for fuel. It is also 

 asserted that they thrive equally well in the 

 hottest parts of Africa and India. The 

 odour of the Goat, which at all times is pro- 

 verbially strong, is intolerably so in the 

 rutting season (from September to No- 

 vember) ; but it is commonly believed that 

 horses are refreshed by it, which accounts 

 for this animal being often kept about sta- 

 bles. Upon this subject Mr. Bell observes, 

 " Many persons keep Goats in their stables, 

 from an idea that they contribute to the 

 health of the horses ; a fancy not perhaps so 

 far-fetched or absurd as at first sight it might 

 appear; for I believe that all animals are 

 kept in better temper and greater cheerful- 

 ness by the presence of a companion than 

 in solitude, and the active and good-hu- 

 moured Goat may in this way really per- 

 form the benefit which has been attributed 

 to it upon mistaken grounds ; indeed, in- 

 stances of close attachment between the 

 horse and the stable Goat are not unfre- 

 quent." The female goes five months with 

 young, and usually produces two kids at a 

 birth ; sometimes, however, three, and occa- 

 sionally but one. 



The ANGORA GOAT (Copra Angorensis) is 

 by far the most elegant of all the varieties 

 of the Goat, and is a native of Angora, a 

 small district of Asia Minor, and remarkable 

 for producing not only this peculiar race of 

 goats, but also sheep, cats, rabbits, &c., with 

 hair of uncommon fineness. The Goat of 

 Angora is generally of a beautiful milk- 

 white colour, short legged, with black, 

 spreading, spirally-twisted horns, and pen- 

 dulous ears. Its chief and distinguishing 

 excellence, however, is the wool, which 

 covers the whole body in long pendent spiral 

 ringlets ; and it is from the hair of this ani- 

 mal that the finest camlets are made. 



The CASHMERE GOAT, so highly prized 

 for its fleece, is descended from the Goat of 

 TMbet, which pastures on the Himalaya. 

 It is smaller than the common domestic 

 Goat, and has long, fine, silky wool. Thibet 

 is situated at the northern descent of the 

 Himalaya mountains, and Cashmere at the 

 southern ; hence there is some difference in 

 the climate ; it is observed, also, that the 

 colder the region where the animal pas- 

 tures, the heavier and finer is its fleece. The 

 Goats which pasture in the highest vales of 



