CHAPTER LXIII 



THE ANGORA GOAT 



The native home of the Angora goat is in the district of Angora 

 in Asia Minor. This is a mountainous region 2000 to 4000 feet 

 high, lying south of the Black Sea ; Angora, the principal city, 

 is in 40° north latitude, 200 miles from the sea, and about 220 

 miles south by southeast from Constantinople. The climate has 

 wide extremes of heat and cold. In January and February the 

 temperature may reach zero, while in June and July it will touch 

 85 degrees. The rainfall is rather variable but light. The soil is 

 frequently poor and free of vegetation. Forests occur to a consid- 

 erable extent. It is probable that the Angora goat has inhabited 

 this region for many centuries, dating back prior to the Christian 

 Era. The atmospheric conditions about Angora are said to be 

 especially favorable for producing a fine quality of hair. 



The origin of the Angora goat is quite obscure. There are some 

 ten species of wild goats in Europe and Asia, and these are divided 

 into two groups : one, the ibexes ; the other, the goats proper. The 

 former are distinguished by horns "flat in front, with horizontal tri- 

 angular sections, furnished with large transversal knots," while the 

 latter have horns that are compressed and carinated in front, with a 

 well-developed keel and with a rounded formation behind. Among 

 the goats are two subspecies : Capra falconeri and Capra csgagrus. 

 "The latter," says Thompson,^ "is also known as the Paseng, the 

 Bezoar goat, or wild goat of Persia, and is generally accepted as the 

 goat from which the Angora is descended through Capra hircus, 

 which is claimed to be the origin of all the common breeds of goats." 



Several varieties of goat in Angora are reported, each located 

 in a special district. These, according to Gatheral, are the follow- 

 ing : (i) Yavan-Ova, having a heavy, lustrous fleece ; (2) Chorha, 



1 George F. Thompson, Information concerning the Angora Goat. Bulletin 

 27, Bureau of Animal Industry, United States Department of Agriculture. 

 Revised 1906. 



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