popular Difttanxrp of &mmatrtt jtatur*. 607 



9HE41HBII.L - (OHIONIS ALBA.) 



SHEEP. (0marfa.) A genus of Rumi- 

 nant quadrupeds, belonging to the class 

 Mammalia; and differing BO slightly in the 

 anatomical structure from the Goat, that 

 botli genera are by some naturalists united. 

 The principal distinctive characters consist 

 in the Sheep having no beard ; in the horns 

 being directed backwards, and then inclin- 

 ing spirally more or less forwards ; in having 

 a convex forehead ; and in the existence of 

 a sac or fossa, situated at the base of the 

 toes, lined with hair, and furnished with 

 sebaceous follicles. It is generally imagined 

 that the primitive stock may be traced to 

 the Wild Sheep of Sardinia and Corsica 



[see MOUFFLOV], or to the Argali of Asia ; 

 but whether either of these are to be regarded 

 as the parent stock, or as the descendants of 

 those which have escaped from the dominion 

 of man (as some have suggested), is of little 

 importance ; but this is certain, that al- 

 though the coat of these wild sheep consists 

 of coarse, stiff, and long hairs, they possess 

 the essential character of wool an imbri- 

 cated scaly surface which gives to the 

 shorter and finer wool of the domestic races 

 that remarkable felting * property upon 

 which its peculiar utility depends. 



It is universally allowed, that, with the 

 exception of horses, and perhaps cattle, Sheep 

 are by far the most important of all the 

 domestic animals we have. They not only 

 afford a large supply of food, and furnish 

 one of the principal materials of clothing, in 



* " Cloth and woollen goods are made from 

 wool possessing this property ; the wool is carded, 

 spun, and woven, and then, being put into the 

 fulling mill, the process of felting takes place. 

 The strokes of the mill make the fibres cohere ; I 

 the piece subjected to the operation contracts in 

 length and breadth, and its texture becomes more 

 compact and uniform. This process is essenti 1 



the manufacture of which an immense num- 

 ber oi people are employed ; but it should 

 be remembered that they can be reared in 

 situations and upon soils where other animals 

 could not find sufficient food for their sup- 

 port. " The dressed skin," says Mr. Pen- 

 nant, " forms different parts of our apparel ; 

 and is used for covers of books. The en- 

 trails, properly prepared and twisted, serve 

 for strings of various musical instruments. 

 The bones, calcined (like other bones in 

 general), form materials for tests for the 

 refiner. The milk is thicker than that of 

 cows, and consequently yields a greater 

 quantity of butter and cheese; and in some 

 places is so rich, that it will not produce the 

 cheese without a mixture of water to make 

 it part from the whey. The dung is a re- 

 markably rich manure ; insomuch that the 

 folding of sheep is become too useful a 

 branch of industry for the farmer to neglect. 

 To conclude : whether we consider the ad- 

 vantages that result from this animal to 

 individuals in particular, or to these king- 

 doms in general, we may, with Columella, 

 consider this, in one sense, as the first of the 

 domestic quadrupeds." 



Many persons are accustomed to consider 

 the Sheep aa the most stupid of all domestic 

 quadrupeds, and aa the onlv one which in 

 probably incapable of returning to a state of 

 nature ; that it neither knows how to avoid 

 danger, nor to seek shelter from the changes of 

 the atmosphere, nor even to procure nourish* 

 ment, except in abundant pasturage. To a 

 certain extent this may be true ; but those 

 who have witnessed the boldness and agility 

 with which the Sheep of the Welsh mountains 

 leap from crag to crag, or the safety with 

 which others descend the rocky precipices of 

 the south-western coasts of the Isle of Wight, 

 to graze on the sweet but scanty herbage 

 which occasionally shows itself among the 

 chalk, and then re-ascend till they reach the 

 summit, bounding upwards with a sureness 

 of foot and strength of spring that seem to 

 rival the goat, would be disposed to con- 

 sider that their instincts were neither so 

 obtuse, nor their return to a state of nature, 

 under favourable circumstances, by any 

 means so difficult as they had imagined. 



The history of the Sheep may be traced 

 to the remotest antiquity ; for we read that 

 " Abel was a keeper of Sheep," and that 

 " Abel brought as an offering to the Lord the 

 firstlings of his flock, and the fat thereof." 

 " There probably is not a species amongst 

 all our domesticated animals," observes Mr. 

 Bell, " which in its historical relations is so 

 interesting as the Sheep. Its early domesti- 

 cation, its employment as the subject of the 

 first sacrifices, its typical character as an 

 offering of atonement, its importance as 

 forming the principal wealth of the early 

 patriarchs its various connection, in short, 



to the beauty and strength of woollen cloth. But 

 the long wool of which stiirts and worsted good* 

 are made is deprived of its felting properties. 

 This is done by passing the wool through heated 

 iron combs, which takes away the laminoe or fea- 

 thery part of the wool, and approximates it to the 

 nature of silk and cotton."- JH r CW/ocA. 



