QUADRUPEDS. 
119 
THE GOAT. (Caprahircus.} 
THE Goat, after the cow and the sheep, has been always 
reckoned, and mostly in ancient and patriarchal times, 
the most useful domestic animal ; its milk is sweet, 
nourishing, and medicinal, and better adapted for per- 
sons of weak digestion than that of the cow, as it is not so 
apt to curdle on the stomach. The female has generally 
two young ones at a time; and these young goats are 
called kids. This animal is admirably adapted for living 
in wild places ; it delights in climbing precipices, and is 
often seen reposing in peaceful security on rocks over- 
hanging the sea. Nature indeed has in some measure 
fitted it for traversing these eminences ; the hoof being 
hollow underneath, with sharp edges, so that it can walk 
as securely on the ridge of a house as on the level ground. 
The flesh of the Goat is seldom eaten ; but that of the 
kid is esteemed a very delicate food, and is frequently 
eaten on the Continent. 
