Essay on Sheep. 3 1 



the harmony of forms, should have early- 

 sought to curb the troublesome agility of their 

 sheep, by giving the same preference to rickety 

 tails, that some among us have done to rickety 

 legs? 



I come now to speak of those breeds of sheep 

 that are best known to us, and indeed the most 

 useful in our state of society — the sheep of 

 Europe. I should however first observe, that 

 some provinces of Persia possess a breed of 

 sheep whose wool is finer and more valued 

 than that of Spain; but as I have no where met 

 with a minute account of them, I shall pro- 

 ceed to notice the race of sheep which holds 

 the first rank, and bears the finest fleeces of 

 any known in Europe — I mean the Merino 

 sheep of Spain. The race varies greatly in 

 size and beauty in different parts of Spain. It 

 is commonly rather smaller than the middle 

 sized sheep of America. The body is com- 

 pact, the legs short, the head long, the fore- 

 head arched. The ram generally (but not in- 

 variably) carries very large spiral horns, has a 

 fine eye and a bold step. The ewes have gene- 

 rally no horns. The wool of these sheep is so 

 much finer and softer than the common wool, 

 as to bear no sort of comparison with it; it is 

 twisted and drawn together like a cork-screw; 



