126 POPULAR SCRIPTURE ZOOLOGY.

his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.’ The original
word is yeatlim, and probably some animal of the goat kind
is intended, but of course no species can be identified. The
name is derived from the verb a/ah, which signifies to ascend
or mount up; and which expressively refers to the distin-
guishing characteristic in the habits of these animals, which
impels them to leave the valleys and the plains, to ascend
the rocks, and rejoice upon the mountains*.”

It seems probable that the Capra Mambrica (Plate VIL.),
which, with some variations, is common to Egypt, Syria, and
other parts of the Kast, is the animal here and elsewhere
alluded to, and it is not unlikely that it derives its specific
name from the mountains of Mamre, for it was among these
mountains that this “rock of the wild goats” occurred.
The Capra Mambrica is chiefly distinguished by its long and
pendulous ears; horns arching backward, of a brownish-ash
colour; the general colour of the hair in the male is grey-
ish-brown, with a dark line along the back, and a black tail ;
the front of the head blackish, the beard and long hair on
the throat are reddish-brown. The female is smaller than
the male, and paler in colour.

The goat is frequently alluded to in the various books of

* Pictorial Bible.