242 account of the fat mumped Jheep. Aug. 1\. 



and even can afsert trom his own observation, has 

 considernble influence on the quality of wool ; nay the 

 extremes of heat and cold, have so powerful an in- 

 fluence as to turn wool to hair*. 



Our author, after closing the subject of the steato- 

 pyga variety of flieep, enters into a learned inqui- 

 ry into the cause of colour in animals, and the chan- 

 ges wrought on their different hues, by climate, pas- 

 ture, water, and certain artificial methods, such as 



rPd tribe, is remnrkably fat ; We know also, that among the various 

 breeds of Iheep in this island, there is no sort of connection obser- 

 vable between the tendency to leannefs or fatncfs, and the finenefs or 

 coarsenefs of the wool. It is necefsary we fliould guard cautiously 

 against general conclusions from particular facts, as that might iea4 

 to very material errors in practice. Edit, 



* I fliould demur to this conclusion also. It is proved by expe- 

 riments that have been carefully made, that the thicknefs of any fila- 

 ment of wool is affected by the heat the animal has suffered at the 

 particular period that filament was produced ; the part of it produced 

 during hot weather being always coarser than that which grew du- 

 ring the prevalence of cold weather. From partial facts, picked 

 up in general reading, it would seem, that in general, warmth of cli- 

 mate had a tendency to render the fleece thinner than it would be in a 

 cold region, or to ineourage the growth of hairs, that are to be found 

 among the wool of many flieep, in preference to that of wool ; but 

 even these facts are not yet fully proven. I have never met with 

 any fact that indicates any other change upon the fleece of flieep by 

 climate ; as to the circumstance of coarse wool being found on the 

 fheep in some northern regions, it may be merely accidental ; the ori- 

 ginal breed of fheep found there perhaps having produced wool of that 

 quahty, and thus have been propagated there by kind. The coarsest 

 wool ill Britain is found in Cornwall, the southermcst part ol the 

 island, the native fheep of which are said to produce a fleece li'^^er 

 hairthan wool ; and the finest is foundia Shetland, the noptl'.ermost part 

 of the Eiiti.'h dominions. \dit. 



