Wild Goat of Afghanistan. 531 



was born in April, and the rutting season is in October 

 and November. The experiment consequently was of no 

 value. 



But I think that without waiting for farther experiments, 

 which after all will not of themselves be sufficient to decide 

 the question, I can furnish proof of the distinctness of the 

 breeds from the following facts : — 



It will be seen, that in the foregoing description of the 

 iEgagrus, the female is altogether destitute of a beard under 

 the chin, whereas in the domestic breeds of Persia and 

 Afghanistan, the tame female possesses this character. The 

 half-bred female in my possession, although partaking more 

 of the wild, than of the tame species, exhibits the intermixture 

 of the latter, in possessing a white front to the face, and in 

 the presence of a beard. Now, as it is well known that animals 

 have a tendency to return to the original and natural states, 

 it should follow, (as the want of a beard in the wild female is 

 a natural character,) that if the domestic breed is derived 

 from the wild one, the former on being crossed by the 

 original stock, should revert to it ; and the tendency to do 

 this would appear in the absence of those peculiarities which 

 were unnatural. Yet this is not the case, for although the 

 beard is unnatural in the wild female, yet the half-breed, and 

 even the third generation of the cross, retains it ; thus shew- 

 ing it to be a natural character in the domestic goat, and 

 consequently that the two breeds are distinct. 



Besides this, it may be remarked, that in the yearling 

 iEgagrus, the horns are not more than \ inch separated at 

 the base, and in the adult male were only § of an inch 

 apart; while the offspring of the half-bred female by the 

 tame Buck, has the horns at one year old rather more than 

 two inches apart at the base. Again, the ears in the wild 

 stock are small and erect ; so are they in the half-breed ; 

 but in her offspring by the tame goat, and in the tame breed 

 itself, the ears are large and pendent. 



