116 ASIATIC GOATS. 



fourteen hands at tlie shoulder, when full-grown ; and cap- 

 able of traversing great distances at a very considerable 

 speed. A warm and woolly coat, which changes its colour 

 and its thickness according to the season of the year, en- 

 ables it to brave, a rigorous climate, and to ascend to re- 

 markable altitudes : Lieutenant Strachey discovered it on 

 the banks of the sacred lake of Manasarowar, at an eleva- 

 tion of 15,250 feet. It lives in little troops of from eight 

 to ten individuals, and is a wary and suspicious animal. 



Goats in Eastern Asia are very numerous, both as species 

 and as individuals. In the more elevated plains they find 

 the two conditions essential to their welfare, — a cool 

 climate, and an abundance of herbage. A swift and agile 

 animal, bold and vivacious, the goat loves the rocky soli- 

 tudes and desert places, where it can climb the steep ascent 

 or spring from crag to crag, exulting in its freedom. 



The Kashmir Goat may be mentioned here, for the sake 

 of convenience, though it does not strictly belong to the 

 steppes. It is a native of Tibet and the mountainous 

 countries of Central Asia. Its fame is due to the excellence 

 of its fur, which is imported into India, and woven into 

 the beautiful Kashmir shawls. This fur is of two kinds ; 

 an outer coA^ering of long silky hair, and an undercoat of 

 soft gTayish wool. It is from the latter that the much- 

 prized shawls are manufactured. 



By a natural transition we pass from the horned goats 

 to the horned sheep, among which the Argali stands con- 

 spicuous. It is nearly as large as an ordinary ox, standing 



