ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF 

 THE ANGORA GOAT. 



S TO THE ORIGIN and early history of the 

 Angora goat little is known. It is sup- 

 posed that the Angora variety descended 

 from one of the classes of wild goats, 

 and different writers have contended that different 

 genera were the foundation of the Angora species. 

 They have based these claims upon the characteristics 

 of the horns, the covering of the body, shape and size 

 of the animal, and various other details. Several 

 agree that Capra ^Egagrus is the class of goat from 

 which the Angora species has developed. 



KNOWN FACTS. 



Present history traces the Angora goat to the 

 vilayet of Angora, in Asia Minor, and to the country 

 immediately surrounding this vilayet. Some have 

 set a date over two thousand years ago, claiming that 

 the Angora goat was introduced into Asia Minor at 

 that time, but the only authentic history is that given by 

 Tournefort, a French naturalist, employed by his gov- 

 ernment, who explored Asia Minor about two hun- 

 dred and fifty years ago, and who described and pic- 

 tured the Angora goat about as he appears to-day 

 and by Evliya Effendi, a Turk, who wrote in 1550 



