White. — On Coloured Sheep. 213 



customary. Unfortunately, my commuDicatiou is delayed or 

 gone astraj". I particularly reverence Professor Dawkins as 

 the man who, long years after I had gone to New Zealand, 

 dug up bones of the sabre-toothed lion, cave-bear, hyena, and 

 others in an overhanging-rock cave, where, when I was a 

 cliild, an old man used to stable his donkey. This was at 

 Cresswell Craigs, on the boundary of Notts and Derbyshke. 



Some twelve months ago a very good pictm-e appeared 

 in the Toicn and Country Journal, Sydney, page 541, of African 

 sheep at the Zoological Gardens, Berlin. Thi-ee animals are re- 

 presented. One is of uniform black, or dark colour, and seems 

 to have no tail — possibly it has been cut off; fah--sized horns, 

 bending backwards close to the head, short hair, and well- 

 defined mane of loug hah's, and long hau- hanging do^vn 

 between the brisket and the throat. I am uncertain of the 

 sex ; it is either a ewe or wether. The ears appear to di-oop. 

 The buck is dark-coloured from the top of the rump to the fore 

 pai't of the shoulder ; neck and thighs white ; a smooth tail, 

 white, nearly reacliing to the hocks ; eai'S white, standing out 

 at right angles ; horns as previously described ; a thick rough 

 mane and long fringe under the neck ; rest of body smooth. 

 The third (evidently a half-grown lamb) has dark and white 

 patches of smooth hair all over, white tail, ears shghrly in- 

 clined downwards, no horns ; and is lying at rest. Part of the 

 description given is as follows : " The coloiu- of these sheep is 

 always black-and-white, the white forming the groundwork 

 for the black round spots which are found upon the nose, eyes, 

 ears, and just above the hoofs. The shape of the specimens here 

 illustrated is rather small and graceful ; the profile is straight ; 

 the fiuely-shaped ears stand out horizontally from the head ; 

 the line of the back is even ; and the tail is of medium length. 

 The body is cui'ved ; the limbs are slender, very similar to 

 those of a deer. The hair is short and even, except on the 

 buck, and even then it grows long only on the under-side of 

 the neck. The large coloured spots which are distributed over 

 the body are essentially black, and characteristic. The 

 Cameroon sheep are only useful as food ; but they are con- 

 sidered of great importance among the black population on 

 account of their easy-fattening qualities." Now, the only spot 

 I detect is one black spot round the eye of the buck. One 

 animal is entirely black, the other two have black and white 

 in large areas, not at all to be called spots. The picture is 

 very well done, and must give a faithful resemblance of the 

 originals. 



The African fat -tailed sheep are remarkable: the tail 

 alone is described as weighing from 201b. to 301b., being equal 

 in weight to the animal's body, and was considered a great 

 •dehcacv, having the flavour of inarrow. They are seldom met 



