Title: Brehm's Life of animals : a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools. Mammalia
Identifier: brehmslifeofanim1896breh (find matches)
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Brehm, Alfred Edmund, 1829-1884; Pechuel-Loesche, Edward, 1840-1913; Haacke, Wilhelm, 1855-1912; Schmidtlein, Richard
Subjects: Mammals; Animal behavior
Publisher: Chicago : Marquis
Contributing Library: Internet Archive
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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THE HORXED ANIMALS—GOATS. 455 deep gulfs which yawn below. It is an excellent climber, and executes dangerous leaps with great courage and skill. It is exceedingly wary, and generally succeeds in avoiding the most insidious dangers. The little ones of this species appear in April or May. The younger mother Goats give birth to one or two kids, older mothers always to two and not rarely three at a time The newborn kids follow their mother about immediately after birth, and after the third day are able to tread with facility the most difficult paths. Their growth is rapid and they are always inclined to play and caper. There are but few living specimens of the yEgag- rus Goat now to be found in zoological gardens, though the transportation of animals of this kind, tamed from infancy, would present few difficulties. with a taste something like that of venison. It is either eaten fresh or is cut into long, narrow strips and dried in the air for future use. The long-haired fur obtained in winter is used by the Moslems as a carpet on which to say their prayers and is highly valued, as its pungent odor is much liked by those Orientals. The short-haired summer fur is manu- factured into bags, the horn into sabre-handles, pow- der horns, etc., and thus the carcass of a buck is put to account in a good many ways. The Evolution of Neither tradition nor history furnish the Domestic us any aid in the attempt to solve Goat. tiie problem of the descent of our domestic Goat ( Capra hircus) and its exceedingly numerous breeds. We are unable to decide at what time one or the other of the wild species was reduced to a state of domesticity, when any crossing of the
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THE ANGORA. GOAT. One of the most valuable varieties of the domestic Goat is the Angora Goat, so called because it inhabits the section of Asia Minor of which the town of Angora is the principal market. Its long fleece furnishes the textile staple known as mohair, used in making fine fabrics. The horns of the male are spirally twisted, as shown in the picture. (Capra hircus angorensis.) Vigorous Pursuit A superstitious belief is still widely ofthe/Egag- prevalent among the unenlightened rus Goat. peoples of the world, that the bezoar stones, or earthy concretions found in the intestines of the Ruminant animals, are of miraculous medicinal value, particularly as antidotes to poisons. Though the supposed virtues of bezoar stones have long since been shown to be non-existent, the erroneous belief that these concretions are oftener contained in the stomachs of the /Egagrus Goats than in those of other Ruminants is the cause of a relentless, exter- minating war, waged against these frolicsome deni- zens of the mountains by people who still believe in the magical powers of bezoar stones. This charlatan belief is unknown on the Grecian isles, in the Cauca- sus and in the Cilician Taurus region, and in those portions of their range these wild Goats are pursued solely on account of their flesh, fur and horns. The profit accruing from the chase is not inconsid- erable. The flesh is exceedingdv savory and tender, breeds occurred, if it occurred at all, or how the peculiarities of breeds that have been proven to exist for thousands of years have been developed. The Angora Goat We may call the Angora Goat (Capra and its Native hircus a/igoreusis) the noblest of all Home. the domestic breeds. It is a beauti- ful, large animal of sturdy organization, with strong legs, short neck and head, curiously twisted horns and a remarkable coat of hair. Both sexes have horns. Those of the buck are much compressed, not twisted, sharply edged longitudinally, and bluntly pointed behind; they usually stand out at a vertical angle from the head, describe a wide double spiral curve and have their extremities directed upward, appearing to make three curves. The she Goat has smaller, weaker, round and directly curved horns. Only the face, the ears and the lowest parts of the legs are covered with short, sleek hair; the other portions of the fleece are extremely rich, thick and long; fine, soft, lustrous, silky and curly. Both sexes

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