Xll CONTENTS. 



its failure, and causes — renewed attempt by the English — is success- 

 ful — wool exported from the colony — number of its sheep. 



Angola Sheep. Description of a very singular variety. 



Guinea Sheep. Two varieties found on the slave coast — one resembling 

 some of the European breeds — sheep very hairy, and men very woolly. 



Morocco Sheep. Breeds superior to other African — distinguished for 

 excellence in the time of Columella — ewe of this breed owned by 

 Chancellor Livingston—description of it 48 



CHAPTER III. 



EUROPEAN SHEEP. 



Italian Sheep. Were very superior in the time of the Romans — fleece 

 cultivated with extraordinary care — reasons for the same — celebrity of 

 the sheep of Apulia and Tarentum — generally supposed to be the pro- 

 genitors of the famed Merinos — description of the management of the 

 Tarentine sheep. 



Spanish Sheep — Merinos, &:c. Spain possessed of valuable breeds at 

 an early period — superiority of the fleece of Boetica — of the Tarentine 

 variety — introduced by Columella — also African rams to improve the 

 Chunah breed — origin of the name of Merino — the Tarentine sheep 

 amalgamated to some extent with the black sheep of Spain — evidence 

 of this — portion of Spain conquered by the Moors — they established 

 extensively woollen manufactures — Seville contained 16,000 looms — 

 Moors expelled by the Spaniards — manufactures ceased — fruitless at- 

 tempts of the Spanish to revive them — the excellence of the Merino 

 continued through centuries of political strife — Chunah sheep — abounds 

 throughout the kingdom — owned by the peasants — supposed to have 

 been iinproved by the English Costswold breed — Spanish Merinos 

 classed in two grand divisions — Estantes and Transhumantes — the 

 latter composed of the Leonese and Sorians — their location in winter 

 — places where summered — cause of their peregrinations — the Trans- 

 humantes fell into the hands of the king, courtiers, and clerg}' — tribu- 

 nal of Consejo de la fiesta — its tyrannical laws — incidents of these 

 journeys — under a Mayoral — numerous under-shepherds with dogs — 

 day's travel length of the journey — injury to the crops by the sheep 

 on the way — vigilance necessary on their arrival at their place of des- 

 tination — construction of pens for folding at night — large quantities of 

 salt given to the sheep — half the lambs destroyed after yeaning — Span- 

 ish notion on this point — exportation of the skins of the slaughtered 

 Iambs — few male lambs castrated — marking of the lambs — number of 

 men employed as shepherds — a singular race of men — buildings for 

 shearing, called esquilos — sweating and shearing — number shorn in a 

 day — number of shearers employed — remarks of a writer concerning the 

 management of the Tarentum sheep — corresponded with Spanish man- 

 agement — Arthur Young's account of theCatalonian and Pyrenean Me- 

 rinos — his description of their fleeces, &c. — number of the estantes or 

 stationary Merinos — ditto of the transhumantes or travelling — number 

 of the Chunah breed — superiority of the transhumantes — Mr. Youatt's 

 description of the qualities of the Merino — weight of fleeces, &c. 



