CHAPTER IV.

GOATS-HAIR.

ANCIENT HISTORY OF THE GOAT--ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES, ETC.

Sheep-breeding and goats in China--Probable origin of sheep and goats--Sheep and goats coeval with man, and always propagated together--Habits of Grecian goat-herds--He-goat employed to lead the flock--Cameo representing a goat-herd--Goats chiefly valued for their milk--Use of goats’-hair for coarse clothing--Shearing of goats in Phrygia, Cilicia, &c.--Vestes caprina, cloth of goats’-hair--Use of goats’-hair for military and naval purposes--Curtains to cover tents--Etymology of Sack and Shag--Symbolical uses of sack-cloth--The Arabs weave goats’-hair--Modern uses of goats’-hair and goats’-wool--Introduction of the Angora or Cashmere goat into France--Success of the Project 293