26 Essay on Sheep, 



the common sheep in having horns spiral, and 

 growing upright. This sheep has in Wallachia 

 and Hungary an undulated wool, which is valu- 

 able for peltries; but I imagine this is rather the 

 effect of art than nature, for I find that the mon- 

 gul Tartars make use of the following means 

 to have their peltries of this sort. The lambs 

 have naturally with them, as they frequently 

 have with us, a kind of wave or curl in their 

 wool when they are first dropped. In order 

 to improve this, and to render it permanent, 

 they cover the lamb with a linen coat, tied close 

 about the body. This they water frequently with 

 warm water, and loose it occasionally as the 

 lamb increases in size. When it has attained 

 the necessary perfection, of which they judge 

 by inspection, they kill the lamb. These skins 

 are more valuable than any of the furs, ex- 

 cept those of the Sable. It might be worth 

 the trial here upon some of our lambs whose 

 wool is most curled and waved when they are 

 dropped. By this means a new source of profit 

 might be derived from this useful animal; nor 

 would the flesh be lost: a lamb is fit for the ta- 

 ble at a month old. I have seen hundreds of 

 them sold by butchers at Naples much younger. 

 There, as in Spain, where they have migrating 

 (locks,, probably half the lambs are killed. In 



