lS2 



OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



Before the reign of Alexander Severus silk 

 and cotton were unknown, and the Romans 

 wore nothing but woolen garments; they liked 

 them fine and were ready to pay high 

 prices for them. In order to i 

 prove the wool of the Taran- 

 to sheep they imported 

 animals from Africa, 

 which they crosse 

 with their own, thus 

 obtaining a \-ery 

 fine, soft wool. To 

 these they added 

 sheep from Anda- 

 lusia and Cordova 

 in Spain, and from 

 Polenta in Italy, 

 which were already 

 famous for the fine 

 te.xture of their black 

 or dark brown fleec 



Ovid, who devotes to sheep 

 certain verses full of gratitude, 

 tells us how they were valued not only , ,, 

 for their wool but also for their milk 

 and flesh. Nevertheless the Merinos and their 

 ancestors have always been sheep for wool 

 rather than for butchering. Ancient breeders 



paid little attention to the conformation of their 

 bodies for butcher's meat ; the production of 

 fine wool was the rmly thing they reall\- cared 

 about, Italy has never been a mutton- 

 eating country ; even to this day 

 the servants of a household 

 object to it as food. 

 The origin of the name 

 " Merino " bears a re- 

 ation to the origin 

 of the sheep them- 

 selves. They came 

 by sea (iiicr) to 

 .Spain, but nothing 

 definite is known 

 about their coming. 

 . Their ancestors 

 i' probably came, in 

 part at least, from 

 Africa, Spain having 

 alwa\s held active inter- 

 course with that continent, as 

 is shown by the settlement of the 

 Moors in the south of Spain, with their 

 industries, their agriculture, and their 

 knowledge of breeding, in which they attained 

 great proficiency. On the other hand, there 

 are some reasons that allow us to think that the 



C> SlIKHI' 



Siii:ii.AM) Sheep 



