The wild species of goat, to which the domestic animal of Tropical Africa 
bears the most resemblance, is the Cretan Ibex. 
The dog of Central Africa is the usual small fox-coloured pariah with erect 
ears and jackal-like head. The tail which is generally long and smooth is 
sometimes carried over the back. Sometimes the colour is mottled—brown and 
white, or black and tan, or black and white. Still, where these piebald tints are 
found there is reason to suspect intermixture with foreign breeds, the usual 
African type of the pariah dog being a uniform fox-colour. I have sometimes 
fancied I saw native hunters using a smaller breed of dogs with short legs for 
terriers’ work, but I have never actually ascertained that there is such a breed. 
Dogs are used a good deal for hunting small game. I have never heard of their 
being employed as in South Africa to tackle big animals and bring them to 
1 Which is not a true goat, but a different genus— Hemitragus. Of course the resemblance is 
accidental. 
THE DOMESTIC GOAT OF SOUTH AND CENTRAL AFRICA 
NATIVES OF BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA 433 
missionaries, planters, and settlers in Africa owe to the cheery little African 
goat that I have often thought a gold medal should be subscribed for and 
at some public festival be hung round the neck of a representative clear-eyed, 
spruce, clean, plump and friendly nanny-goat in token of all we owe to her kind 
for solace in sickness and comfort in health. 
The African goat is usually small, short on the legs, very plump, with erect ears, 
short horns, and (as a rule) short hair. The beard in the males is not long. In 
the females it is often absent or is replaced by two small pendulous wattles. 
Some of the old “ billies ” develop a great growth of hair about the throat and 
neck, looking almost like the Thar goat of India. 1 
28 
