THE HORNED ANIMALS— GOATS. 



455 



deep gulfs which yawn below. It is an excellent 

 climber, and executes dangerous leaps with great 

 courage and skill. It is exceedingly wary, and 

 generally succeeds in avoiding the most insidious 

 dangers. 



The little ones of this species appear in April or 

 May. The younger mother Goats give birth to one 

 or two kids, older mothers always to two and not 

 rarely three at a time The newborn kids follow 

 their mother about immediately after birth, and 

 after the third day are able to tread with facility the 

 most difficult paths. Their growth is rapid and they 

 are always inclined to play and caper. 



There are but few living specimens of the yKgag- 

 rus Goat now to be found in zoological gardens, 

 though the transportation of animals of this kind, 

 tamed from infancy, would present few difficulties. 



with a taste something like that of venison. It is 

 either eaten fresh or is cut into long, narrow strips 

 and dried in the air for future use. The long-haired 

 fur obtained in winter is used by the Moslems as a 

 carpet on which to say their prayers and is highly 

 valued, as its pungent odor is much liked by those 

 Orientals. The short-haired summer fur is manu- 

 factured into bags, the horn into sabre-handles, pow- 

 der horns, etc., and thus the carcass of a buck is put 

 to account in a good many ways. 

 The Evolution of Neither tradition nor history furnish 

 the Domestic us any aid in the attempt to solve 

 Goat. ■ t ne problem of the descent of our 

 domestic Goat {Capra hircus) and its exceedingly 

 numerous breeds. We are unable to decide at what 

 time one or the other of the wild species was reduced 

 to a state of domesticity, when any crossing of the 



THE ANGORA GOAT, >-c of t.iu most v.Jj.ibls varieties of the domestic Goat is the Angora Goat, so called because it inhabits the section 



ol Asia Minor of which the town of Angora is the principal market. Its long fleece furnishes the textile staple known as mohair, used in making fine 

 fabrics. The horns of the male are spirally twisted, as shown in the picture. {Cafira hircus angorensis.) 



Vigorous Pursuit A superstitious belief is still widely 

 of the /Egag- prevalent among the unenlightened 

 rus Goat. peoples of the world, that the bezoar 

 stones, or earthy concretions found in the intestines 

 of the Ruminant animals, are of miraculous medicinal 

 value, particularly as antidotes to poisons. Though 

 the supposed virtues of bezoar stones have long 

 since been shown to be non-existent, the erroneous 

 belief that these concretions are oftener contained in 

 the stomachs of the /Egagrus Goats than in those of 

 other Ruminants is the cause of a relentless, exter- 

 minating war, waged against these frolicsome deni- 

 zens of the mountains by people who still believe in 

 the magical powers of bezoar stones. This charlatan 

 belief is unknown on the Grecian isles, in the Cauca- 

 sus and in the Cilician Taurus region, and in those 

 portions of their range these wild Goats are pursued 

 solely on account of their flesh, fur and horns. 



The profit accruing from the chase is not inconsid- 

 erable. The flesh is exceedingly savory and tender, 



breeds occurred, if it occurred at all, or how the 

 peculiarities of breeds that have been proven to 

 exist for thousands of years have been developed. 

 The Angora Goat We may call the Angora Goat \Capra 

 and its Native hircus a>tgore?isis) the noblest of all 

 Home. t ne domestic breeds. It is a beauti- 



ful, large animal of sturdy organization, with strong 

 legs, short neck and head, curiously twisted horns 

 and a remarkable coat of hair. Both sexes have 

 horns. Those of the buck are much compressed, 

 not twisted, sharply edged longitudinally, and bluntly 

 pointed behind; they usually stand out at a vertical 

 angle from the head, describe a wide double spiral 

 curve and have their extremities directed upward, 

 appearing to make three curves. The she Goat has 

 smaller, weaker, round and directly curved horns. 

 Only the face, the ears and the lowest parts of the 

 legs are covered with short, sleek hair; the other 

 portions of the fleece are extremely rich, thick and 

 long; fine, soft, lustrous, silky and curly. Both sexes 



