,-J! 



VERTEBRATA. 



' ; 



FKEXC11 SHEEP. 



— horned and hornless, long-wooled and short-wooled, coarse-wooled and fine-wooled, black- 

 •1 a 1 1 < 1 white-faced — are all found on our farms, or at least known to our farmers and graziers. 

 \- the presenl time it is supposed there are 30,000,000 of sheep in the United States.* 



Among the varieties of sheep distinguished for peculiar and striking qualities, we may mention 

 the Wallachian Sheep, common not only in Wallachia but in Candia, Hungary, and Western 

 among the Tartar tribes. It is remarkable for its horns, which ascend almost perpen- 

 dicularly from the skull, making a series of spiral turns, and thus sometimes rising to the height 

 n two feet. The fleece consists of long, straight hair, firm and close set, dividing 

 on the back, and falling on each side almost to the ground. Beneath this is a quantity of short, 

 fine wool. A ram of this breed, from Mount Parnassus, was some time since presented to the 

 Ion Zoological Society, by Dr. Bowring; it was a large, powerful, and majestic-looking crea- 

 ture, but was unruly and vicious. 



Tie- Fat-kt mi'ed or Broad-tailed Sheep, found in Syria, Egypt, and the adjacent countni 



are Bupposed to be the breed cultivated by the patriarchs and their descendants, the Jews. There 



are many varieties, some being covered with hair and some with fine wool; some have horns 



and Borne have none; some are of one color and some of another. Their general peculiarity con- 



- in having a tail sometimes so enormously developed as to weigh fifty or even a hundred 



' The number of domesticated sheep in different countries lias been estimated as follows: 



In G Britain 40,000,000 



! ranee, of which marly a million are Merinos, of various grades 28,000,000 



Spain, of which ten million.-; are Merinos 20,000,000 



" ountries of Europe 80,000,000 



America 60,000,000 



tralia, where sheep have been introduced and cultivated with great success 5,000,000 ^ 



Asia and Asiatic islands, estimated 100,000,000 



ica ami African islands 40,000,000 



1 373,000,000 



this estimate i-. of course, conjectural, but it may serve to convey to the mind an impression of the j 

 immense extent to which the sheep enters into the wants, comforts, and luxuries of man. 



