INTRODUCTION. 17 



ed in Palestine were very numerous. Job had 14,000 sheep, 

 besides oxen and camels. When the 12,000 Israelites 

 made an incursion into Midian, they brought away 675,000 

 sheep. When the tribes of Reuben and Gad made war 

 with the Hagarites, their spoils amounted to 250,000 sheep. 

 The King of Moab rendered a yearly tribute of 200,000 

 sheep ; and Solomon offered 120,000 at the dedication of 

 the Temple. 



There are several circumstances which will readily ac- 

 count for these numerous flocks. They constituted almost 

 the only riches of the people ; comparatively few were 

 slaughtered, for, as has already been observed, their flesh 

 was rarely eaten, except on solemn sacrifices or occasions 

 of peculiar rejoicing, and there is reason for believing that 

 the ewes had lambs twice in the year. An author remarks 

 — " The Jewish writers frequently speak of the first and 

 second yeanings, referring the former to the month Nisan, 

 corresponding to the March of the modern calendar ; and 

 the other to the month Tissi, answering to September." It 

 appears, from the concurrent testimony of several travellers, 

 that these numerous flocks were not confined to ancient 

 times. Sir John Chardin saw flocks in the neighborhood of 

 Aleppo of immense numbers. Dr. Shaw states that " several 

 Arabian tribes who can bring no more than 300 or 400 

 horses into the field, are possessed of more than as many 

 thousand camels and oxen, and treble the number of sheep 

 and goats." 



The first, and, indeed, only improvement in sheep breed- 

 ing which the Sacred Book informs us, is relative to the fleece, 

 the color of which, it is generally believed, was originally 

 tawny, or dingy-black. Although the fleece is now so gen- 

 erally white, yet instances are not uncommon in some of the 

 best-bred flocks, which indicates the tendency to return to 

 the original color. This is perceptible in the legs and fa- 

 ces of the distinguished South Down (but from no inter- 

 mixture of blood has become a permanent characteristic of 

 that breed), more so in the Norfolks and black-faced sheep 

 of the Scottish Highlands, and especially so in the African 

 and Asiatic breeds. 



The motive which prompted Jacob to attempt a change of 

 the color, originated in a bargain between himself and Laban, 

 that the former should have in future the speckled or ring- 

 streaked sheep and goats, as a compensation for his services. 



2* 



