E '■ ] 



liorfe in fine order. They aflured me that it had 

 never had any other covering on it but what I faw, 

 and that all its companions were of the fame fort. 



This faft threw the fubjeft of ftieep into a new 

 point of view that I had never adverted to before, 

 and enabled me to account for fome phenomena re- 

 fpefting flieep that had puzzled me a good deal. 

 In the account that Dr. Pallas had given of 

 the famous Boucharian lamb-ikin furs, fome of the 

 peculiarities he mentioned appeared to me to be 

 incompatible with the nature of wool, and much 

 more nearly allied to that of hair. But as I had no 

 idea that any Iheep of this kind exifted, I was per- 

 plexed about it, and could come to no decided opi- 

 nion refpefting it. Since then, I have had an op- 

 portunity of feeing a night-gown, lined with Bou- 

 charian lamb-ikin fur, which, I find, confifts of no- 

 thing elfe but hair, without the fmalleft intermixture 

 of wool. It is fomewhat longer than the Madagafcar 

 flieep's hair, fofter, and gently waved by means of a 

 little curl upon it, which gives to it the beautiful 

 foliage-like appearance, for which thefe furs have 

 been fo much valued; fo that this forms a fecond 

 variety of this clafs of ftieep. 



While I am jufl: writing, I have received a letter 

 from Sir Joseph Banks, bart. on this fubjedtj who 

 fays, " I once imported three flieep from Spain, 

 " which were as fleek and fmooth as a horfe, and 

 " never, at any feafon, Ihewed the leafl: fign of wool 



or 



