Shawl-Goat into Britain. 333 



and the account of Mr. Moorcroft's journey was not then ar- 

 rived in this country. They were therefore suffered to shed 

 their wool in the natural manner, and this process took place 

 about the middle of August, continuing for a period of two or 

 three weeks. It did not come off in large entangled flakes, as 

 in the sheep, but in small portions ; and to prevent it from being 

 lost, was pulled away by the fingers as fast as it became loose. 

 It may be useful to remark, that few of the long hairs came 

 away with the wool ; the rough coat of the animal continuing 

 to appear unchanged during the whole of the process. 



In Tartary, where the coat is shorn, the hairs and wool are 

 removed together ; and the separation of these, in the mode 

 there adopted, is attended with considerable labour, and, con- 

 sequently, with an expense which would, in this country, be a 

 serious diminution of the value of the produce. As there were 

 then no specimens of native imported wool to be procured in 

 this country, and perhaps no one competent to judge of its 

 nature, even if comparative samples could have been obtained, 

 since the stapling even of common wool with accuracy requires 

 a degree of experience which confines it to a few hands, it was 

 impossible to know whether it had suffered by this natural 

 process. If that should not be the case, it is obvious that 

 much of the labour required in extracting the hair would be 

 saved ; but as, even in their native hills, this mode of obtaining 

 the wool is not adopted, although the animals are tame, and 

 collected daily by the goatherds, it is probable that experience 

 has taught them the necessity of resorting to the process of 

 shearing. 



A considerable quantity of fine wool was thus obtained, but, 

 from some of it having been lost by neglect, from the diseased 

 state of the skin in two of the animals, and from the death of 

 the whole occurring about this time, the weight of the produce 

 was not estimated. The colours of this wool were white and 

 pale brown ; the variety of goat of which this small flock con- 

 sisted being white with brown patches, very much resembling 

 those of the common brown and white spaniel, and disposed in 

 a similar manner. ■ 



