530 Wild Goat of Afghanistan. 



I must here remark, however, that I do not think the mere 

 fact that the offspring of the two breeds being capable of 

 perpetuating the race, will at all prove the domestic goat to 

 have sprung from the wild one ; for animals of the same ge- 

 nus though of different species, if closely allied, may produce 

 offspring which will breed inter se, as I have more than 

 once proved with canary birds, having reared the young of a 

 pair of male birds, which young again in turn produced and 

 reared a brood ; the original stock in this case was derived 

 from a canary and a linnet, (Fringilla Canaria and F. Linota, 

 Linn.) My efforts hitherto to obtain a breed from the off- 

 spring of the two races, have been attended with no better or 

 more satisfactory results than those which were obtained in 

 Paris, but I trust ere long, to be able to throw more decided 

 light upon the subject, as I still possess a half-breed female, 

 and four of her kids by a domestic goat. It does not appear to 

 me, however, that former experiments have altogether failed ; 

 for the point to be decided, was, whether the offspring of 

 the wild and tame goats could breed inter se, and this they 

 decidedly have done, although the offspring did not live. 

 The offspring never having been reared, is not because it 

 cannot be produced, but because experiments have not been 

 tried sufficiently often. 



It is not sound philosophy therefore to declare, that be- 

 cause one or two trials have failed, that the fact will not 

 eventually be established. My half-bred female has produc- 

 ed at two different times four kids by the domestic goat, 

 which are all healthy animals, and although she prematurely 

 brought forth on another occasion two kids, which were said 

 to be the offspring of her own produce, yet I have no proof 

 of the fact beyond the statement of the goatherd, who know- 

 ing my wishes on the subject, is as likely to have misinform- 

 ed me as not. But even if he were correct, it must be re- 

 membered that the still-born kids were the offspring of a 

 goat, which was not above seven or eight months old, for it 



