i 4 GOATS IN CITIES 



though the conditions are not the same as those in 

 Switzerland, Italy and Greece, where they form an im- 

 portant part of the livestock. That they would have 

 been used here in very early times, had really good 

 breeds been obtainable, as a c second string ' to the dairy, 

 seems evident from the old custom of milking ewes, 

 practised as late as Camden's time on Canvey Island at 

 the mouth of the Thames. 



Mr. Lockwood Kipling considers that the goat is a 

 thoroughly Mahommedan beast, and quotes a saying of 

 Mahomet : * There is no house possessing a goat but a 

 blessing abideth therein ; and there is no house possess- 

 ing three goats but the angels pass the night praying 

 there.' The British Goat Society are right in desiring 

 that these advantages shall not be limited to Moslems. 

 But far the best breeds belong to the East, and it is 

 strange that the Crusaders never brought back some of 

 the really first-class goats of Palestine and Syria to this 

 country. The difference between the best breeds ot 

 sheep and goats of Palestine is far less than might be 

 supposed from the wording of the New Testament. 

 Both have pendulous ears, both are often black in 

 colour, and both follow the shepherd in place of being 

 driven. The goats of Syria are the best of all. The 

 hair is long, with good close under-wool ; they are 

 perfectly domesticated, and are excellent milkers. 

 Instead of sending his milk round to customers in a 



