^793* account of the TscherkeJsianJJjeep. iji 



without horns, and have now a covering of hair in- 

 stead of wool. As a further confirmation ot torrid 

 deserts turning wool into hair, the doctor cites 

 Shaw's travels, where that author tells us, that the 

 fheep in the Sliara desert of Africa, are comnionlj 

 of the height of a doe, and covered with hair like 

 that of a dbg ; and another traveller, the abb-?' 

 Demanent, afseits in his new history of Afri- 

 ca, publiibed at Paris in 1767, that two varieties of 

 fheep are reared in Guinea, one of which is covered 

 with wool, with a long fat tail (the fat probably ac- 

 cidental) whilst the other is larger, stronger, and co- 

 vered with fhiggy hair, like a goat. It is very good 

 eating, although the most common, and least valued. 

 Dr Pallas draws a double inference from this 

 quotation from the abbe, viz. that the first of the 

 two varieties, which is evidently the Tscherkefsian, 

 from the loNg tail, Qiows that it is widely dispersed 

 over the earth, more or lefs affected by climate, soil, 

 and sometimes by admixture of other breeds ; 

 whilst the second of the abot's varieties, covered 

 with ihaggy hair, is another confirmation of what 

 the doctoi advanced al)0ve, that burning deserts turn 

 "wool to hair; and here he ends his proofs of that 

 fact, which does not seem to require further con- 

 firmation*. Dr Pallas finiihed the description of 



* There seeras to be something unsatisfactory in the reasoning^ 

 here. Were heat of climate the only c.iiise of wool being converted- 

 into hair, it ought to operate equally on the tu'o kinds of flieep here 

 mentioned : an.i they ougiit to be both alike covered with hair or 

 with wooi. Pe.haps in the course of this efsay, some hints may oc- 

 cur tending to clear up thisland other difficulties Edit. 



