766 



INDEX. 



existence in Italy, Sweden, and the 

 Pyrenees, 240 examination of the 

 objections urged against their iden- 

 tity with the Mountain Cattle of Scot- 

 land and Wales, 241. 



Wales, Soft-woolled Sheep of, 67 their 

 external characters, wild habits, and 

 the excellence of their mutton, 68 

 economical value of their wool, 69 

 affinity of the Anglesea and Old Rad- 

 nor breeds with them, ib, the bad 

 treatment of the Sheep, and the 

 means of improving them, 70. 



Wart-bearing Hogs of Africa, 398. 



Water- Spaniel, English, 746. 



Welsh Mountains, Higher, Sheep of the, 

 64 their external characters, the 

 nature of their fleece, and their wild 

 habits, 65 reason why they remain 

 distinct from the other Sheep of 

 Wales, ib. the change produced in 

 their characters when naturalized in 

 a lower range of pastures, 66 affinity 

 of the Radnor and other Sheep of 

 Wales with them, ib. the means of 

 improving them, 67. 



West Highland Breed of Cattle, 300 

 general characters of the Cattle oc- 

 cupying the Highlands of Scotland ; 

 and their identity with the Uri of 

 the ancient forests, ib. the charac- 

 ters Indicative of the faculty of ar- 

 riving at early maturity, and, at the 

 same time, of adaptation to a country 

 of mountains ; and the existence of 

 these characters in the West High- 

 land Breed, 302 deficiency of the 

 Cows in the power of yielding milk, 

 303 importance of maintaining the 

 purity of the breed, 304. 



Wicklow Mountains, Sheep of the, 71 

 adaptation of the soil and climate 

 of Ireland to the rearing of Sheep, 

 ib. the breeds of the country di- 

 vided into those of the mountains 

 and those of the plains, 72 descrip- 

 tion of the Breed of the Wicklow 

 Mountains : its affinity with the Soft- 

 woolled Sheep of Wales ; its exter- 

 nal characters, the excellence of its 

 mutton, and its wild habits, 73 

 adaptation of the ewes to the rearing 

 of lambs for winter consumption, 74 

 continual diminution in the num- 



ber of the pure breed in consequence 

 of crossing, ib. 



Wild or White Forest Breed of Cattle f 

 296 its identity with the Urus of the 

 ancient Forests, ib. its existence in 

 the county of Pembroke, and in dif- 

 parts of England, ib. 

 Wiltshire, Old, Breed of Sheep, 120 

 its external characters, the fineness 

 of its wool, and the quality of its mut- 

 ton ib. near extinction of the breed 

 in consequence of the preference 

 given to the South Downs, ib. no- 

 tice of extinct breeds allied to it, 

 122. 



Wolf, Common, 626 Black, 627 

 Dusky, ib. natural history of the, 

 627 his former abundance in the 

 forests of Europe, and the gradual 

 diminution of his numbers with the 

 progress of settlement and cultiva- 

 tion, 634 his susceptibility of do- 

 mestication, 636 his power of pro- 

 creating with the common Dogs, and 

 producing a fruitful progeny, 640 

 examination of the arguments urged 

 against his identity with certain of 

 the domesticated Dogs, 642 the Wolf 

 of the Eastern Islands, 645 the 

 Mexican Wolf, 661. 



Wolf-dog, Irish, 722. 



Wool, variety in the properties and 

 colour of, 32 how chiefly distin- 

 guished from hair, 41 influence of 

 domestication in developing the wool 

 of the Sheep, 42 remarks on the 

 shearing of it, ib. method of sepa- 

 rating the fine from the coarse wool 

 in a fleece, 43 its eminent adapta- 

 tion to the reception of colours by 

 dyeing, ib. its distinction into the 

 Long and Short kinds, ib. descrip- 

 tion of the process of Combing, 44 

 of Carding, 45 of Felting, ib. of 

 Fulling, 46. 



Woollen Manufacture of Great Britain, 

 injurious effects of the law of 1819 

 upon the, 48 history and progres- 

 sive increase of the, 50 its great im- 

 portance as a branch of national in- 

 dustry, 57. 



Yak of Tartary, natural history of the, 

 215 its economical value in the 

 countries which it inhabits, 217. 



