83 tETTER XVI. 



than those of this country. The colour of the ram is 

 brown, mixed with white, and that of the ewe, black 

 and white. Their cars are pendulous, and instead of a 

 tail, nature has furnished them with a large protube- 

 rance of fat. These sheep abound in Tarlary, and 

 great numbers of them are annually sold into Russia. 

 The African, or Guinea sheep, are found in most of 

 the tropical countries. They are large, strong, and 

 swift, with short horns, pendulous ears, and coarse- 

 hairy fleeces. 



THE MANY-HORNED SHEEP. 



The sheep of Iceland, Russia, and other cold re- 

 gions of the north, resemble ours in the form of their 

 bodies, but differ from them in having a number of 

 horns, some having four and others eight. Their 

 wool is long, and intermingled with hair, and their co- 

 lour a dark brown. 



THE WA LA CHI AN SHEEP 



Have long spiral horns, standing upright in the 

 form of a screw. They resemble those of this country 

 in size and shape, and have long shaggy fleeces. They 

 are also found in Crete, as well as in many isles of the 

 Archipelago. The broad-tailed sheep, common in 

 Persia, Syria, Barbary, and Egypt, are remarkable 

 principally for their large and heavy tails, which are 

 frequently a foot broad. The tails of these sheep 

 *vc'i<_rh from twenty to fifty pounds, r.iul are esteemed 

 a great delicacy, being of a substance between fat 

 and marrow. 



The sheep of the mountains of Thibet aftim! wool 

 -of an extraordinary length and fineness, of which are 

 made the Indian shawls, frequently sold in this coun- 

 try at the exorbitant price of forty or fifty pounds. 

 Formerly an opinion prevailed, that, those shav/ls were 

 made of the hair of the camel ; and it is only since 

 the English began to form a communication with Thi- 

 bet from India, that the real material of this, singular 

 manufacture has been known. 



I have, my dear Sir, been somewhat prolix, in ex- 

 hibiting to you the different kinds of those quaumpeds 

 which are so conducive to our conveniency and com- 

 fort, and so es.sctitiai to our well-being, that w Can- 



