FOUR-HORNED SHEEP IN SCOTLAND 103 



Scotorum, libri decent, Romce. In cedibus populi Romania 

 MDLX XVIII. In this very interesting volume, in a 

 chapter headed " Regionum et Insularum Scotiae descriptio," 

 occurs (p. 12) the passage which I have translated as follows : 

 " In my accompt of Scotland, its districts and islands, it 

 may not be that the vale of Tweed should be wrapt, as it 

 were, in silence ; and this because of the very excellent wool 

 which, above all else, doth there abound. As in neighbour- 

 ing parts, so in that country, men are met with who are 

 known to have sheep, some four or five, others eight, nay 

 even on occasion, ten thousand in number. The ewes truly 

 are small, and the great part bear horns as do rams, but the 

 ewes only a couple, three or four apiece, and the rams at 

 times six apiece. They wear their tails of the shortest, like 

 to young deer. As the sheep reared in the other southerly 

 provinces of the kingdom, in tenderness of flesh they much 

 surpass such as are nourished on the pastures of the neigh- 

 bouring parts [apparently the regions to the north] ; the 

 cause whereof, it is reputed, being that a certain short 

 fine grass wherein sheep in especial delight, abounds on the 

 hillocks of that region." x 



Here we have clearly outlined certain definite characters, 

 which leave us in little doubt as to the present relatives of 

 this early stock : these are smallness of body, fineness of 

 wool, shortness of tail, horned character of ewes, and the 

 frequent presence of supernumerary horns. 



Many years passed before my next reference to Scottish 



1 As the first edition of Bishop Lesley's work is of some rarity, I 

 transcribe here, for the convenience of readers interested in the original, 

 the passage as it appears in that edition : " Caput Regionum et 

 Insularum Scotia descriptio . . . Tuedalia Tuedalia tamen propter 

 optimam lanam, qua prae ceteris omnibus abundat, silentio inuolui non 

 debet, inueniuntur in ilia sicut in vicinia, quorum alii quatuor aut 

 quinque, alii octo aut decern nonnunquam millia ouium habere nos- 

 cantur : oues paruse quidem sunt, & plereque ut arietes cornua ferunt : 

 sed oues, bina, tenia, quaternaue, & arietes nonnunquam sena : caudas 

 brevissimas instar hinnulorum gestant. Carnium teneritudine sicut & 

 quae in ceteris meridionalibus regni prouinciis aluntur, alias, quae in 

 uicinarum regionum pascuis nutriuntur longe superant. In causa esse 

 existimant quod breui, tenui que herba quadam, qua peculiariter oues 

 delectantur, illarum regionum colliculi exuberant." 



