NATURALISTS CABINET. 



Utility, &c. 



CHAP. III. 



*' Behold, where hound, and of its robe bereft r 



By needy man, that all-depending lord, 



How meek, how patient, the mild creature lies ! 



What softness in his melancholy face, 



What dumb complaining innocence appears !" 



THE SHEEP. 



REGARDED with respect to its wants, its dis- 

 position, and utility, the sheep is, in a peculiar 

 manner, the creature of man. Without his fos- 

 tering care and protection its race would soon be- 

 exterminated; but his kindnesses are gratefully 

 repaid by an, ample contribution to his necessi- 

 ties and comforts. Hence it deservedly ranks 

 next to the horse and the ox; for if the former 

 of those noble quadrupeds be conducive to our 

 pleasure, and to the expeditious performance of 

 the greatest part of our business; and if the latter 

 supply us with the most nutritious and wholesome 

 part of our food, it is to the sheep that we are 

 indebted for a considerable portion of our ali- 



