NATURAL HISTORY. 11 



provenient, however, is by 110 means a modern thing. It was 

 in full progress at the time of the patriarch Jacob, who by a 

 trick, as it may be termed, worthy of the most experienced 

 breeder of modern times, got from his father-in-law the best 

 of the lambs for his share of the Hocks which he tended 

 finder a sort of contract, quite common uow-a-days, that is, 

 for a share of the produce. How long before that ancient 

 time the modern rules of breeding were then in practice wo 

 have no means of knowing, but it may be well believed that 

 this art of improvement had been long in vogue, and was 

 the basis of the high condition of the flocks at that time. 



The high condition of intelligence among the leaders of 

 society ev-en in the days of Moses, and the consideration 

 given to the flocks as property, together with the large num- 

 bers of sheep owned by noted individuals as a mere matter 

 of course, all goes to show that the art of the shepljerd was 

 even in those early times very highly cultivated and most 

 highly considered. In fact, as the sheep was one of the 

 most important sources of wealth, we may be sure the flocks 

 weie cultivated as carefully as the high degree of intelli- 

 gence then would lead us to think. And this common knowl- 

 edge of course became a matter of history, repeated and 

 handed down by the ancient writers for even our informa- 

 tion. 



And the arts of improving sheep by the best breeding, as 

 then practiced, may be taken as a guide for us at this time. 

 Here is what Virgil that accomplished Roman farmer and 

 breeder says in the third book of his Georgics: "There will 

 be always those in every flock whose forms you will wish 

 to change, therefore always repair them, and choose out, 

 from the flock the best offspring yearly. Then after the 

 birth, the care is transferred to the lambs, and they brand 

 them with the marks and the names of the race, which they 

 may wish ta keep for breed for preserving the flock. And if wool 

 be your care, select white flocks, with soft fleeces. And if, 

 although the ram himself be white, reject him which has a 

 black tongue under his moist palate; lest he may stain the 

 fleeces of the lambs with black spots, and look about for 

 21 not her in the full field." 



Nor were the ancient shepherds at all behind the most 

 enthusiastic of the modern ones in paying enormous 



