SHEEP. 327 



also of Valencia which do not travel, and like the last have 

 fine wool but of a very short staple." Mr. Jarvis, who spent 

 many years in Spain under every advantage for studying 

 them closely, and who imported and has since bred large num- 

 bers of them on his estate in Vermont, says, " The Paulars 

 were undoubtedly one of the handsomest flocks in Spain. 

 They were of middling height, round bodied, well spread, 

 straight on the back, the neck of the bucks rising in a mode- 

 rate curve from the withers to the setting on of the head, 

 their head handsome, with aquiline curve of the nose, with 

 short, fine glossy hair on the face, and generally hair on the 

 legs, the skin pretty smooth, that is, not rolling up or doub- 

 ling about the neck and body, as in some other flocks ; the 

 crimp in the wool was not so short as in many other flocks, 

 the wool was somewhat longer, but it was close and compact, 

 and was soft and silky to the touch, and the surface was not 

 so much covered with gum. This flock was originally 

 owned by the Carthusian friars of Paular, who were the best 

 agriculturists in Spain, and was sold by that order to the 

 Prince of Peace when he came into power. The Nigretti 

 flock were the tallest Merinoes in Spain, but were not hand- 

 somely formed, being rather flat-sided, roach-back and the 

 neck inclining to sink down from the withers ; the wool was 

 somewhat shorter than the Paular and more crimped, the 

 skin was more loose and inclined to double, and many of 

 them were wooled on their faces and legs down to their 

 hoofs. All the loose-skinned sheep had large dewlaps. The 

 Aqueirres were short-legged, round, broad bodied, with loose 

 skins, and were more wooled about their faces and legs than 

 any other flock I ever saw, the wool was more crimped than 

 the Paular, and less than the Nigretti, but was thick and 

 soft. This flock formerly belonged to the Moors of Spain, 

 and at their expulsion, was bought by the family of Aqueirres. 

 The wool in England was known as the Muros flock, and 

 was highly esteemed. All the bucks of these three flocks 

 had large horns. The Escurials were about as tall as the 

 Paulars, but not quite so round and broad, being in general 

 rather more slight in their make ; their wool was crimped, 

 but not quite so thick as the Paular or Negretti, nor were 

 their skins so loose as the Nigretti and Aqueirres, nor had 

 they so much wool on the face and legs. The Montarco 

 bore a considerable resemblance to the Escurials. The Escu- 

 rial flock had formerly belonged to the crown, but when 

 Philip the II built the Escurial palace, he gave them to the 



