68o 



THE AFFGHAN FAT-TAILED SHEEP. 



thirty and forty pounds, and when melted down, will yield from twenty to thirty pounds 

 of pure tallow. So inordinate is the growth of the fat that the tail becomes almost 

 obliterated, and is only perceptible externally as a little round fleshy button. 



Some varieties present a different mode of producing fat, and deposit a large amount 

 of fatty matter in the tail. Fat-tailed Sheep are found in every part of the world, and 

 are much valued on account of the peculiarity from which they derive their name. 

 The Syrian variety is remarkable for the enormous dimensions of the tail, which in 

 highly fattened and carefully tended specimens will weigh from seventy to eighty 

 pounds. So large, indeed, are the tails, and so weighty are they, that the shepherds are 

 forced to protect them from the ground by tying flat pieces of board to their under 

 surface. Sometimes they add a pair of little wheels to the end which drags on the 

 ground, in order to save the animal the trouble of drawing the bare board over the rough 

 earth. The fat which is procured from the tail is highly valued, and is used in lieu of 



AFFGHAN FAT-TAILED SHEEP. 



butter, as well as to " lard " meat that would otherwise be unpleasantly dry and tasteless. 

 It is also melted down and poured into jars of preserved meat, for the purpose of 

 excluding the air. These Sheep are most carefully watched, and are generally fed by 

 hand. 



At the Cape of Good Hope a fat-tailed race of Sheep has long been prevalent, and is 

 reared in flocks of considerable size, tended by Hottentot herdsmen. This is a very 

 valuable animal, for it not only furnishes good mutton, together with great quantities of 

 fat, but, when young, supplies its owner with beautifully soft and warm garments. The 

 skins of the Cape Sheep are prepared for use by being cleaned, dressed, and sewn 

 together; and are of such excellent quality that they form a warmer coverlet than could 

 be obtained from any other material. Their outward show is not at all inferior to their 

 quality ; for they are so smooth and soft that few persons would guess that they had 

 once formed part of the natural covering of a Sheep. The fat of these animals is mostly 

 collected in the tail and hinder quarters, and is peculiarly soft when removed from the 

 animal, being in an almost semi-iluid state. It is thought a great delicacy, and is also in 

 great request for the manufacture of soap. 



