364 THE WILD GOAT, &c. 



precife, as to enable us to diftinguifli them. 

 They have denominated them in general, ivild 

 goats *. They perhaps regarded thefe animals 

 as of the fame f jecies witli the domeftic kind *f", 

 having never bellowed on them proper names, 

 as they have done to every other fpecies of qua- 

 druped. Our modem naturalifls, on the contra- 

 ry, have confidered the wild and the chamois 

 goats as two diilincl fpecies, and both different 

 from the common goat. There are fads and 

 arguments in favour of both opinions, of which 

 we (hall only give a detail, till we learn from 

 experience whether thefe animals can intermix 

 together, and produce fertile individuals; as this 

 circumftance alone can determine the queftion. 



The 



Chamois, Cemas, Tfard ; Obf. de Belon. p. 54. Belon pre- 

 tends that the French name Chamois comes frqrn the Greek 

 Cemas of iElian ; but he is not certain that Cemas, or rather 

 Kemas, denoted the Chamois ; $ee Mem. pour firvir a Phi/}, des 

 animaux, part. 1. p. 205. 



Rupicapra ; Plinii, lib. 8. c. 15. Gefner, quad. p. 290. Rait 

 Eynopf. quad. p. 78. Scheut. It. Alp. torn. I. p- 1 55. 



Yfarus on Sarris ; Gaftonde Foix, p. 99. Brijfon. quad. p. 4 1. 



Gemie ; Klein, quad. p. 18. 



Antilope rupicapra; Pallas Mifcel.p. 4. 



Capra rupicapra, cornibus ereftis uncinatis ; Linn. Syfi. 

 Nat. p. 95. 



* Rupicapras inter capras fylveftres adnumerare libet, quo- 

 niamhoc nomenapud folum PHnium legimus, et apud Grae- 

 cos £mp!iciter ferns caprae dicuntur, ut conjicio : Nam etmag- 

 v.itudine et figur.i turn coruuum turn figura corporis ad vilia- 

 ticas proxime accedunt ; Gifner. kijl. quad. p. 292. 



- Caprae qu:i alimus a capris feris funt ortae a queis 

 propter Italiam, Capraria toifula efl nomiData, TWiro, 



