White. — On Hybridism. 201 



successful, aud often the original cross has to be recommenced 

 to obtain the proportion of three-eighths of he goat and five- 

 eighths of sheep or of three-eighths of ram and five-eighths of 

 she goat, such being the reputed best hybrids. 



And take this extract from " The Angora Goat," an 

 American publication, by John L. Hayes (page 131): "The 

 Alpaca and its Congeners. — When the Spaniards under 

 Pizarro made the conquest of Peru in 1533 they found in 

 the country four species of animals a little different from each 

 other, to which, from their coarse resemblance to the domestic 

 sheep, they gave the name of ' sheep of the country ' (carneros 

 de la tierra). Two of the species — the llama and the alpaca 

 — had been in a state of domestication among the natives ; 

 the two others — the guanaco and the vicuna — lived 

 wild in the high mountains of the Andes." Mr. Ledger says 

 &11 four species are fertile together — the wild vicuna seeks the 

 female alpaca at rutting-time." At page 137 Mr. Hayes quotes 

 from the old-time Spanish writer Pedro de Cieza de Leon 

 as follows: " It appears to me that in no part of the world 

 have sheep like those of the Indians been found or heard of. 

 These sheep are among the most excellent creatures that God 

 has created, and the most useful. ... To supply this 

 need the giver of all good things, who is God our Lord, 

 created such vast flocks of these animals, which we call 

 'sheep', that if the Spaniards had not diminished their num- 

 ber in the wars there would be no possibility of containing 

 them." 



Quoting from " On Colonial Wools," by Thomas Southey 

 •(1848) : " It is said that not only are hybrids between the goat 

 and sheep common in Chili and Peru, but that in those 

 ■countries goats and sheep are mated intentionally to produce 

 them." He also quotes Dr. Adam Smith (" Peru as it is," 

 1839), to the effect that " in Chili it has been frequently found 

 that by crossing the goat with the sheep the fleece has 

 resulted of a long, lank, lustrous, and consistent quality, and 

 when woven has greatly imitated the finest camlets. The 

 intention of this was originally to avoid the tedious process of 

 plaiting the sheep's fleece on the skin to make it suitable for 

 'pellones,' or saddle-covers, and the experiment succeeded 

 beyond expectation. The best and largest ' pellones ' come 

 from Arauca, where the Indians, chiefly leading a pastoral 

 life, take great care in selecting the best breeds for mixture, 

 and in preparing them (by a peculiar method) for their own 

 use and for the purposes of trade. The skins are large, light 

 when dry, and the wool is allowed to grow to a great length 



* Mr. Ledger imported these animals to Australia some fifty years 

 ■ago, and made a special study of their habits in their native land. 



