PEESIAN SHEEP.] 



SHEEP, 



[PERSIAN SHEEP. 



perfect cushions of fat by the sides of the tail, 

 which absolutely bury it. The female has 

 smaller horns, or is altogetber without them. 

 The colour varies, but is usually roan, or of a 

 light brown, mixed cast, while the ewe is black. 

 The wool is somewhat short, and fine in quality. 

 The weight of fat about the rump will be 

 nearly as much as thirty to forty pounds. It 

 must be kept in mind, however, that the fat 

 of the rump of this species is diflerent from 

 the fat of our mutton. On this subject, Dr. 

 Anderson observes— " There is no meat on 

 the body of our common breeds of European 

 sheep, which, in many of its distinguishing 

 characteristics, resembles that of the tail of 

 the broad-tailed sheep of the southern parts 

 of Africa or Asia; far less does any part of 

 the flesh of our mutton bear the smallest 

 similitude to that of the hemispherical bumps 

 on the bullocks of the Steatopaga breed, which 

 so much abounds in the northern parts of 

 Asia. The bumps are called fat, because they 

 resemble that substance in colour and con- 

 sistency, more than the lean of mutton ; but it 

 differs externally from the fat that is found on 

 any part of the body of our sheep." 



THE PERSIAN SHEEP. 

 The Fersian Hornless sheep is one of the 

 fat-rumped varieties, and is very different 

 from every kind of sheep we have yet de- 

 scribed. It is short-eared, and the head and 

 neck are without wool. The body is both 

 deep and cylindrical ; whilst the breast is con- 

 siderably rounded in front. The legs are 

 small and thin; but this is compensated by 

 the rumps, which literally make a pair of 

 cushions of fat, and almost entirely conceal 

 the tail, notwithstanding its great size. The 

 wool is as white as snow, but is short, and 

 not very fine. In the Mosaical sacrifice, there 

 ia incidental allusion made to the rump, 

 Moses having taken the fat, and the rump, 

 and all the fat that was upon the inwards. 

 Mr. Youatt quotes this as indicative of the 

 Jewish sheep having been of the fat-rumped 

 variety. The author of The Cow gives reasons 

 which induce him to come to an opposite 

 conclusion. There were six parts of the ram 

 to be burned: — 1st, the fat; 2nd, the rump; 

 3rd, the fat of the inwards; 4th, the caul 

 above the liver; 5th. the two kidneys, and 

 GOG 



the fat that is upon them ; and, 6th, the right 

 shoulder. "Now it appears to us," conti- 

 nues the same author, "that these directions 

 rather oppose than support the conclusion 

 that the rump was covered with fat. If so, 

 why did they not specify the fat covering the 

 rump, in the same manner as covering the 

 kidneys? And if the mention of the rump 

 along with other fat parts is to convey the idea 

 that it was fat also, the mention of the shoulder 

 would convey the same impression, which 

 would not be at all accurate. The assumption 

 that the fat was accumulated on the rump 

 and legs, would operate in favour of its also 

 being equally deposited on the shoulder. We 

 imagine that all that was intended was, that 

 all the hest parts were to be sacrificed in the 

 ' ram of consecration.' The internal accumu- 

 lation of fat, too, is opposed to much external 

 formation." 



Another fat-tailed variety of the Persian 

 sheep is mixed up with others which develop 

 the fat in other parts of the body. Its wool is 

 of a long hairy grey, and extremely coarse. 

 It, however, has horns. The tail consists of a 

 large accumulation of fat, tending to the pen- 

 dulous, and has a somewhat conical form. 

 The wool is of a much finer staple than the 

 Wallachian, and is of two kinds — long and hair- 

 like, but thinly scattered, and wiry. There is an 

 under coat, from which the finest cL'^ss of wools 

 are obtained ; and these are said to be equal 

 to Cashmere in their fineness of texture. 



The Abtssikian sheep is the same as the 

 Persian; and, according to Mr. Milburn, is 

 but one remove from the Argali, even at the 

 present time. Its habitat is along the shores 

 of the Eed Sea. Its tail is somewhat short ; 

 its wool coarse and heavy, and of a greyish or 

 brownish colour. The horns diverge from 

 their roots, and are bent so as to make the 

 large form of a circle. The relationship is 

 very close ; and it is thought not to be difiicult 

 to imagine this long-legged, horned, hair- 

 covered sheep, to be a variety of the Argali. 



Among other strange varieties of sheep, may 

 be here noticed the sheep of Syria and Egypt, 

 with a long tail loaded with fat, which some- 

 times even trails on the ground. In the Egyp- 

 tian animals the tail is broad throughout, but 

 in the Syrian it narrows to a point. The ordi- 

 nary weight of the tail is fifteen pounds ; but. 



