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Show 1875.] WILD GOAT OF ASIA MINOR. 459 Caucasus, and north and south Persia, being most abundant in the latter; he found them numerous on the Kuh Daena, near the old city of Susa, and on the plateau of Persepolis. Mr. Hutton (Calcutta Journal, vol. ii. p. 521) reports it common in Afghanistan, in the Soolimaun and Pisheen hills, and in the Huzzareh and western ranges. Fitzinger (Sitzungsber. d. k. Akad. vol. xxxvi. p. 741) says it occurs in the island of Scarpanto. Erhard (Fauna d. Cycladen, p. 29) considers the Goats of Joura and Skopelos to be true iEgagri, and identical with those of Crete. H e distinguishes, however, as a different species, or at least as a well-marked variety, an animal which is found in small numbers on the little rocky island of Antimelos, and which he describes under the name of AUgoceros pictus. He also remarks that the Goats of Joura are now rare-though, according to Von d. Miihle (Ornith. Griech. p. 2), they were so common in 1839 that a party of Greek soldiers who were stranded on that island killed many of them with their bayonets. Mr. Blanford remarks (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1874, p. 248):--"It appears probable that the Wild Goat of Northern Persia, Asia Minor, and Crete is the same as that of Southern Persia and Sind;" and Sir Victor Brooke has informed me (in litti) that " C. agagrus extends from Samothrace and Crete, through Asia Minor and Persia into Sind." He adds that "many modifications of the species no doubt occur through this great and varied range: for instance, the smooth-horned or Sind Capra agagrus is considerably smaller than the Wild Goat of Asia Minor; it is also somewhat different in its coloration, the ground-colour of the body being very much paler, and the facial markings more intense and sharper-defined." These differences he attributes to the effects of climate and locality, but has no doubt that it is the same species. Without attempting to investigate the early history of C. agagrus, we may observe that this species is alluded to by some of the ancient writers. Varro mentions the Wild Goats of Samothrace under the name of "Rotae" (lib. ii. cap. i.) ; and those of Crete are referred to by Cicero (De Nat. Deor. lib. ii.). Bochartus (Hierozoic. cap. xxiii. p. 918) thinks that Oppian means a particular species by the term a'iyaypos, " as, after speaking of the pugnacity of a certain kind of Goat, he passes to the iEgagrus as to a race of Goat distinct from all others." According to Cuvier (Desmarest, Diet. d'Hist. Nat. vol. vi. p. 422), " L e Paseng paroit etre l'Hippelaphe d'Aristote et le Trao-elaphe de Pline, dont la patrie indiquee par ces auteurs est la meme que celle de cet animal, et dont les descriptions lui convenien-nent egalement." It seems to have been tolerably well known among the earlier authors of more recent times as the Paseng, which inhabited Persia, and is evidently the same animal which Albertus refers to as the "caper montanus" of Crete (see Gesner, C. * Hist. Animal.' p. 332), "Nullum animal cursu et agilitate tantum pollet et simul tarn ingentia cornua habet quam caper montanus." It is chiefly in connexion with the celebrated Bezoar stones that mention of the animal |
