The high Estimation of Broad-tailed Sheep. vi 
5 
not leave to discretion or caprice, what parts should be of- 
fered in sacrifices ; but determined himself to select and en- 
join them. 
Scheuchzer was a celebrated physician and naturalist. His 
account of fat clearly refutes (if it wanted refutation, other 
than its evident improbability) the idea, that the fat of any 
animal can reside exclusively in any particular part, while 
other parts are meagre, and “ aliment therein deficient.” Jt 
would flow back into the system, to recruit and sustain it. 
Whatever may be the modern definition of the term adeps, 
it is well known that fat animals will live the longest, with- 
out any, or slender supplies of food. It is found in fact, that 
the tails of these sheep are small and flaccid, when the animal, 
is generally lean. So that the tail cannot be (agreeably to the 
nature and structure of animals) neither in fat nor lean sheep, 
“¢ the repository of all the fat,” or any great proportion of it. 
And I know experimentally, that the Tunis tail (or Alieh) 
consists, in its interior, much of rich mucilage, without am 
undue proportion of fat. 
A view of the Tunis sheep, or any other of the pure and 
choice races of the Latzcaude, would supersede all necessity 
for any other refutation of this groundless opinion. It is only 
to those who have not seen or feasted on them, and have 
conceived prejudices, originating in misinformation, or want 
of sufficient reflection, that these observations can be, in an 
important degree, necessary or useful. Having long aban- 
doned rich food, I leave to others the experiment and enjoy- 
ment of it. 
RicwarD PETERs, 
September 25th, 1810. 
Thave lately compared some of my Tunis wool, hastily plucked from the backs of the sheep, 
with many neatly displayed samples off fine sheep of the English breeds in New-Jersey ; whereof 
that of the south down was the best. My best wool was the softest. and finest in the filament. 
Re Ps 
qa 
