230 UTILITARIAN ZOOLOGY 
The most important wild animal from which the domesticated 
Goat of Europe has taken origin is probably the Grecian Ibex 
or Bezoar Goat (Capra e@gagrus), which at the present time ranges 
from Crete to North-west India. But there is very likely an 
admixture of one or more other strains. 
So far as civilized nations are concerned, the most important 
products obtained from the Goat are kid-skin, for glove-making, 
and “mohair”, which is the long silky over-hair of certain Asiatic 
breeds. The chief source of the latter is the well-known Angora 
Goat, native to Asia Minor, and distinguished by the beauty of 
its long white silky coat (fig. 1165). The Kashmir Goat, which 
also ranges into Tibet and the Asiatic steppes, possesses an 
undercoat of fine soft wool, and it is this which is made into the 
familiar Kashmir shawls. Large herds of the steppe variety are 
among the most valuable property of the nomad tribes, not only 
on account of their skins and wool, but also as a source of meat, 
milk, butter, and cheese. 
Tue Came. (Cametus).—Being eminently adapted to desert 
conditions the Camel has been a most valuable domestic animal 
in Asia and Africa from very remote times. There are two 
species, the one-humped Arabian Camel (Camelus dromedarius), 
which is the familiar kind introduced by the Arabs into Africa, 
and the two-humped Bactrian Camel (C. Bactrianus, fig. 1166) 
of Central Asia. It is doubtful whether either species exists in 
the wild condition. Both are represented on the Assyrian 
monuments. The most important use of Camels is to serve as 
beasts of burden, a large animal being able to carry 1000 
pounds weight or more for a distance of 30 to 35 miles a day. 
Several breeds exist, and a distinction may be drawn between 
baggage-camels and racing-camels or dromedaries. The latter 
are capable of maintaining a pace of from 8 to 10 miles an 
hour for a considerable part of the day. There are also various 
crosses between Arabian and Bactrian camels. 
Camels are most valuable as beasts of burden, both in peace 
and war, but they are also an important source of meat and milk, 
while the thick wool of the Bactrian species is greatly esteemed 
for textile purposes. The Arabian Camel is by no means limited 
to Africa and Arabia, for it ranges also from Syria to North-west 
India, and has been introduced into Italy, Spain, the Canary Islands, 
North America, and Australia. It is probably of Indian stock. 
