"There can be no doubt," observes Mr. Blanford, "that C. aegagrus is one of the species, and probably the principal, from which tame goats are derived."
Fig. 176.—Japanese Goat Antelope. Nemorrhaedus crispus. × 1⁄12. (From Nature.)
The Chamois (Rupricapra) and the Goral (Nemorrhaedus) are best described as Goat-like Antelopes; but, as already said, it is difficult to split up the Bovidae satisfactorily. The Rocky Mountain Goat, Haploceros montanus, is a large Goat-like creature,
which has the peculiarity of having the shortest cannon bones of any Ruminant. Its name denotes its range.
Fig. 177.—Goral. Nemorrhaedus goral. × 1⁄12. (From Nature.)
The Musk Ox, Ovibos moschatus, has been thought to be on the borderland between the Sheep and Oxen, as indeed expressed in its scientific name. It is a purely Arctic creature, now confined to the Nearctic region; but it formerly existed in the Arctic regions of Europe.
The anatomy of the "soft parts" of this genus has lately been investigated by Dr. Lönnberg.[[210]] The animal has no foot glands such as occur in Ovis. Its kidneys, however, are non-lobate, and it has orbital glands. The cotyledons of the placenta are unusually large, and the cow has the "primary four" teats. It cannot, in fact, be definitely referred to either the Caprine or the Bovine section of the Cavicornia, and while possibly most allied to Budorcas, it may be regarded, at least for the present, as entitled to form a separate sub-family of its own. The muzzle
has a slight naked strip above the nostrils, as in the Sheep, but there is no fissure of the upper lip.