10 



beasts, yielding botli milk and labor at one and the same time. When young 

 they are enveloped in a long, shaggy coat, which they lose at maturity, when 

 they become practically hairless. In the summer time they cannot be 

 worked, as they take to water to escape from insect tormentors, in which the 

 land, as of old, abounds. Good bullocks appear to be worth 15 to 20. 



Sheep for the most part are black and tailed, covered with long hair that is 

 here called wool. There is no doubt that the average Egyptian sheep is a very 

 poor animal, perhaps the poorest sample of its species that I have ever seen ; 

 and yet the fellah is unreasonably proud of if. I was endeavoring to ascertain 

 from a native woolspinner why in Egypt preference had been given to black 

 sheep, whilst in most other countries white sheep were preferred, but the only 

 answer I could secure was that Egyptian sheep were the best in the world. 



. Egyptian Ploughman and his Team 



These sheep are generally found in small flocks of 5 to 30, guarded by small 

 boys, grazing wherever any scanty herbage was available. They occasionally 

 follow cattle in the " berseem " fields. The coarse wool is wholly reserved 

 for strictly home consumption. From what little I was able to observe, I am 

 strongly of the opinion that there are at least two distinct breeds of sheep here ; 

 I was not able, however, to determine their peculiarities very closely. These 

 sheep appear hardy enough, and, considering the conditions to which they are 

 subjected, must be practically immune to footrot. 



Of orchards there exist very few in Egypt, and what there are are very 

 badly kept. They generally contain citrus trees, and, to lesser degree, 

 apricots and peaches. The trees appeared to me everywhere too closely 

 planted, and unhealthy looking. 



