C A 
way, goats are numerous, notwithflanding their inability 
to bear extreme cold. Nay, in that northern climate, 
they thrive fo prodigioufly, that, as Pontoppidan relates, 
not lefs than feventy or eighty thotifand raw hides are an¬ 
nually exported from Bergen. Even Iceland is not defli- 
tute of goats j but that ifiand is fo fcantily fupplied with 
trees, flirubs, and the other plants on which thefe ani¬ 
mals delight to broilfe, that they are not numerous nor 
thriving there. Attempts have been made to introduce 
this animal into Greenland : and as the goat, when it can¬ 
not obtain its favourite vegetable food, refufes not to eat 
dried fifli, it is found capable of fubfifling even in that 
barren and dreary region. In South America, thefe ani¬ 
mals have multiplied prodigioufly j but the climate of Ca¬ 
nada has been found too levere. Africa, India, Mada- 
gafcar, and the Oriental iflands, all afford this animal. 
Our voyagers to the South-Seas found abundance of goats 
in the ifland of Juan Fernandez ; and in Batavia, the 
Dutch colonifts have, among their other domeflic animals, 
propagated large herds of goats. 
The goat, though lefs friendly and lefs ufefiil to man¬ 
kind than the flteep, affords, neverthelefs, a variety of 
articles of no fmall utility to human life. The fiefh of 
this animal is wholefome food. That of a fpayed goat, 
fix or leven years old, is remarkably fweet and fat. The 
haunches, falted and dried, make excellent hams. The 
dried blood of the lie-goat is, with fome perfons, a fpeci- 
fic for the pleurify and inflammatory diforders. The milk 
is of the bed kind ; much more agreeable than that of the 
fheep, and poflefl'ed of fome valuable medicinal qualities : 
the cheefe preparedfrom it is much edeemed in manyplaces: 
the cream is fcarcely ever feparated for butter : the milk 
and the whey are taken as powerful,remedies in cafes of 
confumption. The horns of the goat are materials of raa- 
nufadture, as well as thofe of the cow and flieep. Even 
.the difagreeable odour of the lie-goat is thought to ope¬ 
rate on the human frame as a cure for nervous affedlions, 
and as a preventative againff many diforders. Horfes, it 
is imagined, find it very refrelhing ; and perfons of (kill 
in the management of horfes keep a lie-goat in their finds 
or (fables, for this very purpofe. But the (kin is perhaps 
the mod valuable part of the goat. It is prepared for ma¬ 
ny purpofes, either with or without the hair. It covers 
the foldier’s knapfack, and is manufadfured into holders 
and hangings. When dreffed without the hair, the fkin 
of the kid efpecially, becomes a foft and pliant fpecies of 
leather, -excellent for gloves, and many other ufes. It 
takes a dye better than any other (kin ; is fufceptible of 
the riched colours ; and when it was formerly ornamented 
with gold andfilver, became an elegant and fuperb article 
of furniture. The hair feparkted from the hide, is a valu¬ 
able article of commerce. Pliny relates,- that in Cilicia, 
and either in Syria or in the country adjacent to the Afri¬ 
can Syrtes, the hair of the goat ufed anciently to be (horn 
in the fame manner as we do the fleece of the fheep. The 
tallow of this animal is alfo an article of confiderable va¬ 
lue. It is much purer, and approaches in its nature much 
nearer to butter, than the tallow of either the ox or the 
(heep. Where goats are numerous, it is often ufed by the 
poorer people in the preparation of food. Candles made 
of it are far fuperior in whitnefs to thofe made of other 
tallow, and burn brighter and longer. 
i. Capra aegagrus, ortbe wild goat: has large, fmooth, 
black horns, which are fharply ridged on their upper and 
hollowed on their under furfaces, and much arched back¬ 
wards ; the chin is furnilhed with a beard. It inhabits 
the lower mountains of Caucufus and Taurus, Alia Mi¬ 
nor, Laar and Khorazan in Perfia, probably in India and 
Africa. The horns of this animal have no knobs or rings, 
but on the upper furface are a few wavy wrinkles ; they 
are very large, fometimes weigh ten pounds, and meafure 
three feet long ; they are dole at the bale, bend much 
backward, and are even hooked at the ends, which ap¬ 
proach a little. The general colour of the animal is grey, 
lbmetimes mixed with rufi colour,having a dofky -lift along 
the middle of the back j the fore part of tbe head is black, 
0 R A. 77? 
the cheeks arc mixed with brown, and the chin has a large 
beard of a dnfky colour, mixed with chefnut; the tail is 
black. In fize, it is fuperior to the largeft domeflic goat, 
and refembles the flag in agility and elegance of form. 
The female has no horns, or very fhort ones. Some au¬ 
thors fay that, when hard prefled by the hunters, it wilL 
throw itfelf from a precipice, and fave itfelf by falling on 
the horns. This is faid to be the original parent, from 
whence came the whole tribe of goats ; though others at¬ 
tribute that honour to the ibex, which, indeed,'"appears 
to be only a larger variety of this wild fpecies. 
3. Capra Angorenlis, or the Angora goat: the whole 
body covered with very long foft filky hair. It inhabits 
the country about Angora, Beibazar, and Cougna, in Afi- 
atic Turkey; and about Gomron in Perfia. Thofe of 
Angora are of a filvery whitenefs, and thofe about Cougna 
are brown or black coloured. The horns of the he-goat 
ftand outwards direfitly from the head, and are twified in¬ 
to a ferew-like fpifal, being fometimeiabove two feet long, 
and near three feet diftant at the ends ; while the horns 
of the female are fhort, and bend firft back, then down, 
and then forwards, almofl clofe to the (ides of the head. 
The ears are flat, pointed, and douching. The foft (ilky 
hair of this animal is the bafisof our finefi camlets, and 
is imported to England in the form of thread ; fer the 
Turks will not permit it to be exported raw, for a reafoa 
that does them honour, becaufe it fupports a number of 
poor, who live by fpinning it. 
4. Capra mambrica, or the Syrian goat: the horns are 
fhort, and much reclined ; the ears very long and pendu¬ 
lous ; the throat bearded. It inhabits Syria, India, Perfia, 
and other parts of the Eaft ; is likewife brought fometimes 
to Aftracan by the Kirghifian Tartars. The horns of this 
goat are fhort, black, and tranfverfely wrinkled; thofe of 
the male bend much backwards, and are divaricated and 
bent upwards at the ends; thofe of the female take a half¬ 
turn, pointing forwards, clofe to the head. The ears are 
of an enormous length, and fometimes need to be cut off 
to allow the animal to graze. It is fomewhat larger tham 
the common goat, with long fhaggy light-coloured hair* 
having two black flripes-down each fide, and the tail the 
fame. This animal fupplies Aleppo with hulk. 
5. Capra depreffa, or the African goat: the horns are 
fhort, thick, triangular, and laid clofe to the fkull. It in¬ 
habits Africa. This is a dwarfifh animal, not much larger 
than a half-grown kid of the common kind ; the male lias 
two long hairy wattles below the chin ; thefe are wanting 
on the female, which has much fmaller horns. The hair 
of the male is rough and pendulous; that of the female 
is fmooth and fhort. 
6. Capra reverfa, or the Whidaw goat: the horns are 
fhort, eredt, fmooth, and turned forwards at the ends. It 
inhabits Whidaw, orjuda, in Africa. This fpecies is 
dwarfifh, being about the fize of a year-old kid of the 
common kind, and differs from the former chiefly in the 
form of the horns, and by wanting the wattles on the 
throat. 
7. Capra Capricornus, or the Capricorn goat: the horns 
are fhort, annulated at the lides, and turned forwards at 
the ends. Its place, hifiory, and even figure, are uncer¬ 
tain. The count de Buffbn only informs us that its ikele- 
ton was fent, under the name of Capricorn, to the royal 
cabinet, and that it agrees with the common goat in the 
forms and proportions of its bones and teeth, but differs 
in the figure of the horns. 
8. Capra mutica, the Cabonas goat: has no horns. It 
inhabits the country of the Cabonas, to the north of the 
Cape of Good Hope. This variety refembles the com¬ 
mon domeflic goat in every thing but the want of horns. 
9. Capra Caucafica, or the Caucafan goat. The horns 
are (lightly triangular, and knobbed on their anterior fur- 
face, and are arched backwards, confiderably divaricating, 
with their extremities turned inwards. It inhabits the 
bare, fchiflic, rocky, funnnits of mount Caucafus, near 
the origin of the Terek and Cuban rivers, and in the dif- 
tridts named Cacketia and Offetino ; the horns of the male 
are 
