THE I'A'rilKi; OF ALL THE COATS 195 



stripe ut" ihe old iiuilcs, llu' beunl, not worn l)y all species 

 of ilx'x. aro its most distill o'uisliino' cliaractoriRtifs. 'I'lio 

 bezoai' stone — to wliidi has becu long alti'ildilcil many 

 liealing properties. Imt especially as an aiilidnte to poison 

 — is foiuul in tlif slomacli of this animal. 



As an njil Turk put il to inc, ■" Why do \'on coinr nil 

 the \va\' ironi iMiuiaiid to shoot a little 2;oat not worth two 

 niedjids?" The truest answer W(.»uld perhaps he that the 

 old " billy " of the species, who was at that time caged at 

 the Zoo. was a particular friend of mine. I lis high-bred 

 appearance and pugnacious habits, and the fact that he 

 was occasionally, when in his tantrums, chained up to 

 avoid his damaging: attacks on his prison — damaging, that 

 is, to his own handsome head — perhaps first suggested that 

 he was a gentleman of character whose a('»|iiaintance it was 

 desirable to make. Be that as it nia\', a hunting expe- 

 ditioii to obtain this goat had long been among my keenly- 

 desired |trojects. 



\\\ dint of pertinacious iiirpiiry from the few travellers 

 who have sought out the haunts of the animal, 1 Ii.id an 

 accurate general knowledge of the ranges where he must 

 be sought. 1)111 this second-hand learning winiM not ha\'e 

 SI 1 nil 'I'd it I had not been assisted on tie • spot. \\ it h such zeal 

 di'l ller Majesty's vigorcnis representative at .Smj'rna second 

 iiiv projects, that one would have thought my success to be 

 ol' international importance. rnfortunately for the ext(Uit 

 ot' m\' bag. the limits of my absence from l-aiglaiid a 

 rio"id six weeks — precluded me from reaching the best 

 ground, which is the chain of the Taurus roiniing the rock- 

 bound southern coast of Asia Miiioi'. Xeai-ly a fortnight 

 more ot" \\\\ scant\' time would have been consumed in the 



