The high Estimation of Broad'tailed Sheep. \\ 



not leave to discretion or caprice, what parts should be of- 

 fered in sacrifices ; but determined himself to select and en- 

 join them. 



Scheuchzer was a celebrated physician and naturalist. His 

 account oifat clearly refutes (if it wanted refutation, other 

 than its evident improbability) the idea, that the fat of any 

 animal can reside exclusively in any particular part, while 

 other parts are meagre, and " aliment therein deficient.'* It 

 rvould Jioxv hack into the system^ to recruit and sustain it. 

 Whatever may be the modern definition of the term adeps^ 

 it is well known that fat animals will live the longest, with- 

 out any, or slender supplies of food. It is found in fact, that 

 the tails of these sheep are small and flaccid, when the animal 

 is generally lean. So that the tail cannot be (agreeably to the 

 nature and structure of animals) neither in fat nor lean sheep, 

 " the repository of all the fat," or any great proportion of it. 

 And I know experimentally^ that the Tunis tail (or Al'ieK) 

 consists, in its interior, much of rich mucilage^ without an 

 undue proportion of fat. 



A view of the Tunis sheep, or any other of the pure and 

 choice races of the Laticandce^ would supersede all necessity 

 for any other refutation of this groundless opinion. It is only 

 to those who have not seen or feasted on them, and have 

 conceived prejudices, originating in misinformation, or want 

 of sufficient reflection, that these observations can be, in an 

 important degree, necessary or useful. Having long aban- 

 doned rich food, I leave to others the experiment and enjoy- 

 ment of it. 



Richard Peters^ 

 September 25th, 1810. 



I have lately compared some of my Twus wool, hastily plucked from the backs of the sheep, 

 jttith many neatly displayed samples off fine sheep of the English breeds in New-Jersey; whereof 

 that of tjie south doivn wris tlie h^st. iMy best wool was the softest; and fiaest ia the filament. 



