166 Fleeces of certain Prmiitive Species of Sheep 



1. Numerous fibres uniformly 3 cms. in length and having shafts of 

 uniform calibre. The free end of each was broken and each bore along 

 its length the marks of numerous transverse fractures. In colour they 

 were white in the proximal third and more or less pigmented a ruddy 

 brown in their distal two-thirds. 



2. Others, less numerous, were shorter, ending in unbroken, long, 

 tapering tips and uniformly pigmented. 



3. Complete, deeply and entirely pigmented, very small fibres, 

 ranging from 1-7 mms. in length, forming a bristly mat upon the sur- 

 face of the skin. 



The winter coat (PI. I, Fig. 1, right) was of two kinds, an outer one of 

 hair similar to the longest hairs of the summer coat, and an inner coat 

 of fine curled wool. 



The great majority of the hairs were 5 cms. in length, some very 

 slightly coloured and others entirely devoid of pigment. Not one pos- 

 sessed its tip and many had been broken off nearer the skin. No smaller 

 or intermediate hairs were present. 



The wool fibres when stretched to their fullest extent averaged 

 3-5 cms. in length, but there was considerable variation. The inner coat 

 of wool formed a mat among the bases of the hairs 2 cms. thick. 



The following measurements were made by Professor Barker of Leeds 

 University for Professor Ewart. 



Hair 



Wool 



Sample 

 Ovis ammon poll 



Summer coat 



Winter coat 

 0. ammon hodgsoni 

 0. ammon ammon 



This table shows that there is no wool in the summer coat of Marco 

 Polo's sheep. In the case of the other species only the winter coat was 

 available for examination. 



The Hair (PI. I, Figs. 2a, 3, PL II, Figs. 4, 5). A transverse section of a 

 typical hair from either the summer or the winter coat showed the following 

 structure. A central medulla consisted of shrunken cells and cell-elements 

 lying amid irregular spaces. Surrounding the medulla was the cortex, com- 

 posed of several concentric layers of flattened cells. External to the cortex, 

 the hyaUne colourless scales of the cuticle were souglit but though scores 

 of hairs were carefully examined, after different methods of preparation 



