1793* account of the fat rumped Jheep. 24J 



gins by informing us that the flocks of none of the 

 Tartar hordes are so much subject to them, as those 

 of the Kirguise andKal:nouk3. They are seldom made 

 up of their own wool, but of grey coloured camels 

 hair ; and seem to have the following origin. 



The camel, besides feeding on Ihrubs, or spinose 

 and asper plants, are particularly fond of saline ve- 

 getables; and sustain themselves in some parts of th« 

 Tartarian des'erts, intirely upon salsoiis, halimo, and 

 such like plants, 



They likewise lick up the saline efflorescence, so 

 frequently found on the earth in these countries; and 

 b^ these means, their fluids become so fully satura- 

 ted with salt, that after perspiration, their hair is 

 as if it was powdered with salt. 



The fheep, which are equally fond of that mine- 

 ral, lick it off the Ikin of the camel with much a- 

 vidity, and with it swallow the loose hair of their 

 coat, which forms one or more balls in the stomach ; 

 as the operation has been repeated in difl"erent sea- 

 sons. These camels hair balls are from the size of 

 a walnut to that of an egg, commonly either round, 

 or a little concave from being prefsed in Ij'ing. 



This species of ball is seldom incrusted with tar- 

 tar although another kind to be described below, 

 commonly are covered with that matter. 



The doctor finifnes the subject of hair balls, by 

 mentioning in a note, his having seen, when in Lon- 

 don about the year 1762, at the house of the cele- 

 brated naturalist Pvlr Henry Baker, a roundifh ball 

 cf soft white wool, the size of an orange ; one of 

 ux fcund iu the £tom?.ch of an Engliflx Iheep. 



