FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 323 



called on account of the length of their bodies and the 

 shortness of their legs. They were first found in some of 

 our Atlantic islands, and are indeed a rickety, crippled- 

 looking race. Their wool is of a medium fineness, and of 

 a medium length: It is neither of a proper length lor 

 combing, nor yet for broadcloths. 



The advantages of this breed consist chiefly in their ina- 

 bility to be mischievous, in leaping fences, &c. and their 

 disadvantages consist in their proportionate inability to 

 escape from Dogs, &c. But the Man of taste and feeling 

 will make another objection to them; their form is not 

 pleasing to the eye, and their rickety, hobbling gait is cal- 

 culated to excite pity, instead of pleasure. 



Another breed of Sheep, which are found in almost every 

 quarter of the globe, are the Broadtailed Sheep. These 

 are ot different kinds, and yield fleeces oi different qualities 

 in Different climates. In the Levant, their wool is fine; at 

 the Cape of Goodhope, it is coarse ; and at Madagascar, it 

 is mere hair They are generally larger than the European 

 Sheep, and the tails of one kind weigh, in many instances, 

 filty pounds; being < so weighty that the Shepherds are 

 compeled to place two little wheels under each, to enable 

 the Sheep to drag them.' 



* The composition of this excrescence (says Mr. Living- 

 ston) is said to be a mixture ot flesh with a great proportion 

 ot tat, and to be very delicate tood ; but the animal has little 

 other fat, the tail being in him the repository of that fat 

 which lies about the loins of other Sheep.' 



As it is hardly probable that this excresence could have 

 been inherent in the original stock, whence these Sheep 

 descended ; but has most probably been produced, either by 

 accident or by art: It is, perhaps, one of the most extraordU 

 nary instances, to be lound, of an alteration produced in the 

 form of an animal by domestication. 



A yearling Sheep has at its first shearing two broad teeth 

 before, beside its narrow teeth when sheared the second 

 time, it has four; the third time, six; and the fourth, eight. 

 They are then said to be full mouthed. The teeth of Ewes 

 begin to decay at the age of five years; those of Wethers, 

 at seven ; and of Sams, at eight. At this age, a Ram should 

 be castrated, and turned off to faten with other old Sheep. 

 Ewes will faten faster during pregnancy than at any other 

 time. 



If properly kept, and no accident befal them during preg- 

 nancy, they are capable of yeaning till the age of ten or 

 twelve; but they frequently become barren much sooner, 

 by reason of poor keeping, or by injuries received during 

 pregnancy. When this is the case, and they grow weakly, 

 they should be fatened with other old Sheep. 



