1875.] WILD GOAT OF ASIA MINOR. 459 
Caucasus, and north and south Persia, being most abundant in the 
latter ; he found them numerous on the Kuh Daena, near the old 
city of Susa, and on the plateau of Persepolis. Mr. Hutton (Cal- 
cutta Journal, vol. ii. p. 521) reports it common in Afghanistan, in 
the Soolimaun and Pisheen hills, and in the Huzzareh and western 
ranges. Fitzinger (Sitzungsber. d. k. Akad. vol. xxxvi. p. 741) says 
it occurs in the island of Scarpanto. 
Erhard (Fauna d. Cycladen, p. 29) considers the Goats of Joura 
and Skopelos to be true Aigagri, and identical with those of Crete. 
He distinguishes, however, as a different species, or at least as a 
well-marked variety, an animal which is found in small numbers on 
the little rocky island of Antimelos, and which he describes under 
the name of 4igoceros pictus. He also remarks that the Goats of 
Joura are now rare—though, according to Von d. Mihle (Ornith. 
Griech. p. 2), they were so common in 1839 that a party of Greek 
soldiers who were stranded on that island killed many of them with 
their bayonets. 
Mr. Blanford remarks (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1874, p. 248) :—*“ It 
appears probable that the Wild Goat of Northern Persia, Asia Minor, 
and Crete is the same as that of Southern Persia and Sind ;” and 
Sir Victor Brooke has informed me (7m tt.) that ‘“ C. egagrus 
extends from Samothrace and Crete, through Asia Minor and Persia 
into Sind.’ He adds that ‘many modifications of the species no 
doubt occur through this great and varied range: for instance, the 
smooth-horned or Sind Capra egagrus is considerably smaller than 
the Wild Goat of Asia Minor; it is also somewhat different in its 
coloration, the ground-colour of the body being very much paler, and 
the facial markings more intense and sharper-defined.” These 
differences he attributes to the effects of climate and locality, but has 
no doubt that it is the same species. 
Without attempting to investigate the early history of C. egayrus, 
we may observe that this species is alluded to by some of the ancient 
writers. Varro mentions the Wild Goats of Samothrace under the 
name of ‘ Rote”? (lib. ii. cap. i.); and those of Crete are referred 
to by Cicero (De Nat. Deor. lib. ii.). Bochartus (Hierozoic. cap. 
xxiii. p. 918) thinks that Oppian means a particular species by the 
term atyaypos, “as, after speaking of the pugnacity of a certain kind 
of Goat, he passes to the Augagrus as to a race of Goat distinct from 
all others.” According to Cuvier (Desmarest, Dict. d’ Hist. Nat. 
vol. vi. p. 422), “‘ Le Paseng paroit etre l’Hippélaphe d’ Aristote et 
le Tragélaphe de Pline, dont la patrie indiquée par ces auteurs est la 
méme que celle de cet animal, et dont les descriptions lui convenien- 
nent également.” 
It seems to have been tolerably well known among the earlier 
authors of more recent times as the Paseng, which inhabited Persia, 
and is evidently the same animal which Albertus refers to as the 
“caper montanus”’ of Crete (see Gesner, C. ‘ Hist. Animal.’ p. 332), 
“Nullum animal cursu et agilitate tantum pollet et simul tam 
ingentia cornua habet quam caper montanus.’’ It is chiefly in con- 
nexion with the celebrated Bezoar stones that mention of the animal 
