Essay on Sheep, 33 



and Leon has the largest, with the finest coats. 

 Those of Soria are small, with very fine wool. 

 Those also of Valencia, which, like the last, 

 do not travel, have fine wool, but of a very 

 short staple. The greater part of the Merinoes 

 of Spain are transhumante, and migrate from 

 the south to the north, and from the north to 

 the south twice every year. This has probably 

 contributed to the health of the sheep, and, as 

 a consequence of it, to preserve the beauty of 

 the wool, without however being essential to it; 

 as appears from the fine wool produced by the 

 stationary flocks that I have mentioned, and 

 other stationary flocks in the hands of indivi- 

 duals, whose wool is not inferior to that of the 

 migrating sheep. Spain is bounded to the north 

 by mountains of such altitude as to be covered 

 during the winter with snow. These however 

 afford fine pasturage in the spring and summer, 

 when the plains in the south are parched by the 

 sun. It was very natural then for the shepherd 

 to avail himself of this circumstance, and while 

 the country was little cultivated, to drive his 

 flock from the burnt grass of the plains to the 

 fresh and verdant herbage of the mountains; 

 and again, when this was chilled by frost, or 

 covered by snow, to return to the plains that 

 had regained their verdure; the winters of 



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