210 Transactions. -^Zoolog I/. 



these flocks was led by a tiuy child, with cropped head, a 

 frock down to his heels, and a branch of mimosa in his hand. 

 He walked first among the sheep, then Httle faces crowding 

 and pushing softly round him. He might have been David, 

 leading his father's sheep for the first time cut of Bethlehem. 

 Then there are women in bright handkerchiefs, picking up 

 olives under the tree ; and one often meets a mule or lai'ge 

 ass, the rightful owner of the path, stepping down with a 

 gingerly grace over the stones. He bears on his back an im- 

 mense load of sticks and grass, or a Httle baiTol of wine sluug 

 on each side. He probably has one ear set forwaid, the other 

 back, to show that no advantage must be taken of his good- 

 nature, and he looks at the stranger with a doubtful, intelli- 

 gent eye, while his master or mistress gives a friendly nod and 

 'Bon jour.' ' This is very well described, you will allow, and 

 must be by a lady also, I should think. 



The report of Consul-General Playfair upon the commerce 

 and agriculture of Algeria, last year, contains very much in- 

 teresting information relating to wool and sheep. The fol- 

 lowing is his description of the v^ool produced in Algeria : 

 " Algerian wool may be divided into two categories, Arab and 

 Berber. The former is generally of a short fibre, sometimes 

 moderately, rarely, if ever, verj" long, and regulated by the 

 climatic influence of the locahties where the sheep are reai'ed. 

 It is always short on the high plateaux, and becoines longer 

 as the sheep descend into more fertile and better-watered 

 regions, but in both instances it is fine wool of a fine quahty, 

 and without any hairy appearance — the rehc, it may be, of the 

 now lost Merino stock, supposed to have been introduced by 

 the Eomans, and subsequently perfected by the Moors of 

 Venice, who certainly drew their original supphes of wool and 

 of sheep from North Africa. The Kabyle or Berber wool, on 

 the other hand, is entirely different : it is hard, coarse, in- 

 elastic, and almost resembles goats' hair. Algerian wool has 

 been much discredited by fraudulent practices to increase its 

 weight ; nevertheless it is good in quality, and readily piu- 

 chased, while the sheep themselves are eagerly sought for 

 in France, where from three to four millions are sent 

 every year. No doubt, neither Algeritin wool nor Algerian 

 sheep are of the fu-st quahty, but the latter possess qualities 

 ■which might possibly disappear were the race modified to auy 

 appreciable extent. They can resist the greatest extremes of 

 heat and coLl, of abundant and deficient pasturage, absolute- 

 want of care, and the long fatiguing marches necessary to send 

 them to the port of embarkation." 



A Russian writer says of the Caucasian wool : "It may be 

 divided into four classes. First, fine wool, which has hitherto 

 been disposed of in Moscow, as it is unsuitable for other 



