14 PHILOSOPHY OF ZOOLOGY. 



is ready to fall, and pull it off with their fingers. The long 

 hairs, which likewise form a part of the covering, remain 

 for several weeks, as they are not ripe for casting at the 

 same time with the fine wooL This operation of pulling 

 off the wool, provincially called rooing, is represented by 

 some writers, more humane than well-informed, as a pain- 

 ful process to the animal. That it is not even disagreeable, 

 is evident from the quiet manner in which the sheep lie 

 during the pulling, and from the ease with which the fleece 

 separates from the skin. 



We are in general inattentive with respect to the annual 

 changes in the clothing of ourdomestic animals ; but when 

 in search of those beasts which yield us our most valuable 

 furS) we are compelled to watch these operations of the 

 seasons. During the summer months the fur is thin and 

 short, and is scarcely ever an object of pursuit ; while dur- 

 ing the winter, it possesses in perfection all its valuable 

 qualities. When the beginning of winter is remarkable for 

 its mildness, the fur is longer in ripening, as the animal 

 stands in no need of the additional quantity for a covering ; 

 but as soon as the rigours of the season commence, the 

 fleece speedily increases in the quantity and length of bair. 

 This increase is sometimes very rapid in the hare and 

 the rabbit, the skins of which are seldom ripe in the fur un- 

 til there is a fall of snow, or a few days of frosty weather ; 

 the growth of hair in such instances being dependent on 

 the temperature of the atmosphere. 



The moulting of birds is another preparation for winter, 

 which is analogous to the casting of the hair in quadru- 

 peds. During summer, the feathers of birds are exposed 

 to many accidents. Not a few spontaneously fall ; some of 

 them are torn off during their amorous quarrels ; others 

 are broken or damaged ; while in many species they are 

 pulled from their bodies to line their nests. Hence their 



