1 68 



OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



spiral horns which lean to one side in the sheep the heath or moors of northern Germany, Den- 

 of Wallachia and stand erect in those of Crete, mark, Russia, the Low Countries, and parts of 

 These animals bear weather of all kinds, being England. It is not at all exactmg, and lives 

 kept on the mountams m summer and brought prmcipally on the gorse and heather produced 



by those arid regions. The 

 laborers raise these sheep for 

 their coarse wool, and for 

 manure with which to fertilize 

 their barren and stony soil. 

 The flesh is considered very 

 savory and recalls the taste of 

 \-enison ; it contains little fat 

 and has a peculiar gamy flavor, 

 impossible to define, which is 

 possessed by the flesh of no 

 other sheep. 



This moorland animal re- 

 calls in his exterior the wild 

 sheep, his ancestors. The 

 ram's horns resemble those of 

 the argali, but the spirals are 

 smaller and oftener repeated, 

 the head is finely formed, the 

 eye alert and intelligent, the legs very slender 

 and well made. The color of the coat, the hair 



CHK\-I0T 1-U i.-, i 11^-1 IJL.ALU\ 

 Photo J. T. Newman, iierkhanipstead 



down to the plains in winter. Besides milk and 

 meat, each animal can supply from four to six 

 pounds of wool, which is much in demand for 



of which is short about the head and legs, is 



the manufacture of stockings and other coarse brownish black, brown, reddish brown, tawny, 

 woolen articles. spotted or speckled, or white. All moorland 



The silvcy-haircd sliccp is found in the south sheep, however, do not correspond to the type 

 of Africa. Blankets are made of its wool, above described. Some have no horns, and 

 None of these sheep have been 

 brought to our country 

 except as curiosities 

 for agricultural pur 

 poses they could 

 not compete with 

 our present im- 

 proved breeds. 



IV. 



M00RL.\ND 



Sheep 



The sheep of the moors 



of northern Europe have Ion 



coats of mixed wool and hair. They 



, ,, , A \Vallachi.\n Ram 



are coarser and more cowardly than 



those of Wallachia. Their wool is used only 



for the commonest stockings and other equally type the moorland sheep of the province of 



coarse woolen textures. This sheep inhabits Drent in the Low Countries. 



others have the nose strongly 



curved ; they are mostly 



small and active. The 



tail is usually very 



long. 



Though these 



sheep are by nature 



wild and shy and 



prefer a free life on 



the moors, they soon 



accustom themselves 



domestic surroundings 



and will return every evening 



faithfully of their own accord. It is 



instructive to watch the habits of 



these interesting animals ; let us choose as a 



