GOATS. 545 



It lives in little bands of five or ten in number, each troop being under the command of an 

 old male, and preserving admirable order among themselves. Their sentinel is ever on the 

 watch," and at the slightest suspicious sound, scent, or object, the warning whistle is blown, 

 and the whole troop make instantly for the highest attainable point. Their instinct always 

 leads them upwards, an inborn ' ' excelsior ' ' being woven into their very natures, and as soon 

 as they perceive danger, they invariably begin to mount towards the line of perpetual snow. 

 The young of this animal are produced in April, and in a few hours after their birth they are 

 strong enough to follow their parent. 



The color of the Ibex is a reddish-brown in summer, and gray-brown in winter ; a dark 

 stripe passes along the spine and over the face, and the abdomen and interior faces of the 

 limbs are washed with whitish gray. The horns are covered from base to point with strongly 

 marked transverse ridges, the number of which is variable, and is thought by some persons to 

 denote the age of the animal. In the female the horns are not nearly so large nor so heavily 

 ridged as in the male. The Ibex is also known under the name of Bouquetin. 



The members of the genus Hircus may be distinguished from the ibex and the sheep by 

 the peculiar formation of their horns, which are compressed, are rounded behind, and furnished 

 with a well-developed keel in front. In some instances the keel is ragged, or appears like a 

 series of knobs, but in all cases it is prominently conspicuous. 



There are an enormous number of varieties of the common domestic Goat, many of them 

 being so unlike the original stock from which they sprang as to appear like a different species. 

 For the present, we will turn to the common Goat, with which we are all so familiar. This 

 animal is often seen domesticated, especially in and about stables, as there is a prevalent idea 

 that the rank smell of the Goat is beneficial to horses. Be this as it may, the animal seems 

 quite at home in a stable, and a very firm friendship often arises between the Goat and one of 

 the horses. Sometimes it gets so petted by the frequenters of the stables, that it becomes pre- 

 sumptuous, and assaults any one whom it may not happen to recognize as a friend. Happily, 

 a Goat, however belligerent he may be, is easily conquered if his beard can only be grasped, 

 and when he is thus captured, he yields at once to his conqueror, assumes a downcast air, and 

 bleats in a very pitiful tone, as if asking for mercy. 



At the Cape of Good Hope, large flocks of these animals are kept, and are extremely 

 sagacious, needing no goat-herd to watch them, and are altogether more wise than sheep. In 

 the morning they sally out upon their foraging expeditions, and in the evening they volun- 

 tarily return. It is said that Goats are the only animals that will boldly face fire, and that 

 their chief use in a stable is to lead the horses from the stalls in case of the stables being 

 burned. Horses are such nervous, excitable animals, that when their dwelling has taken fire 

 they cannot be induced to face the dreaded element, and must see some other animal lead the 

 way before they will dare to stir. It is also said, and apparently with reason, that in case of 

 fire, a horse may be easily removed from the scene of danger by harnessing him as usual, 

 instead of trying to lead him out at once. The animal has learned to connect obedience and 

 trustfulness with the harness, and while he bears the bit in Ms mouth, and the saddle or traces 

 on his back, he will go wherever he may be led. Blindfolding the horse is another good 

 method of inducing the animal to follow its guide without hesitation. 



The Goat is, like several other domesticated animals, able to foretell stormy weather, and 

 always contrives to place itself under shelter before the advent of a storm. The flesh of the 

 Goat is not held in great estimation, and even that of the kid, which is comparatively tender 

 and well-flavored, has fallen into disrepute. The milk is, however, in some demand, being of 

 a rather peculiar flavor, which is grateful to certain palates. 



In its wild state, the Goat is a fleet and agile animal, delighting in rocks and precipitous 

 localities, and treading their giddy heights with a foot as sure and an eye as steady as that of 

 the chamois or ibex. Even in domesticated life this love of clambering is never eradicated, 

 and wherever may be an accessible roof, or rock, or even a hill, there the Goat may be gener- 

 ally found. 



