SHEEP AND SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 



CHAPTER I. 

 ORIGIN, ANATOMY AND POINTS. 



V NATIVE COUNTRY OP SHEEP. II. THEIR DIVERSIFIED CHARACTER. III. 



A.N ATOMY OF THE SHEEP. IV. TOP AND VERTICAL VIEWS OF SKULL. V. DEN- 

 TITION OF SHEEP. VI. POINTS OP SHEEP EXPLAINED. VII. DIVISIONS OF 



FINE WOOL. VIII. COMPARATIVE VALUE OF FINE AND COARSE WOOL. IX. 



RANGING AND FLOCKING OF DIFFERENT BREEDS. X. REGIONS ADAPTED TO 



SHEEP. XI. POINTS OF EXCELLENCE OF THE PRINCIPAL BREEDS. XII. 



STANDARD FOR AMERICAN MERINOS. XIII. STANDARD FOR MIDDLE-WOOLED 



SHEEP. XIV. STANDARD FOR COTSWOLD SHEEP. 



I. Native Country of Sheep. 



The native country of sheep is not known, and has not been since the 

 earliest historical times. There are no wild sheep known, if we except 

 the Ovis Montana, or wild sheep of Montana, in the United States, 

 though at the Paris exhibition of 1865, several wild (so-called) sheep 

 were exhibited, although bred in confinement. Among these were the 

 Vild sheep of Barbary, Ovis TragelapuSy more resembling a goat than 

 our wild species, which is really a sheep ; and also thePunjaub wild sheep, 

 Ovis Cycloceras, a native of Northern India, and the Europeon moufflon, 

 Ovis Musimon, belonging to Corsica and Sardinia. 



n. Their Diversified Character. 



That sheep were the earliest domesticated of any of the wild animals, 

 there is no doubt. Abel was a keeper of sheep, the first recorded shep- 

 herd or herdsman of any kind. The gi-eat length of time since their 

 domestication, is also shown by their widely diversified character. The 

 classification of Jiinnssus shows : The Hornless, Horned, Black-faced, 

 Spanish, Many aomed, African, Guinea, Broad-tailed, Fat-rumped, 

 Bucharian, Long-tailed, Cap-bearded, and Bovant. To these may be 

 added the Siberian sheep of Asia, found also in Corsica and Barbary, and 



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