THE DOMESTIC SHEEP; 



ITS CULTURE AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SHEEP. 



It is not only interesting, but exceedingly useful practi- 

 cally, to know as much as possible of the origin and general 

 history of the domestic animals which have during, we 

 know not how many centuries been brought under the 

 dominion of mankind, and have gradually been domesticated, 

 changed by this culture, and made subservient to the profit 

 of the farmer and the uncountable advantage of mankind. 



There are several different races of the original wild 

 sheep, and as it is certain that some of these original races 

 have become the progenitors of our domestic sheep it is 

 interesting to study the peculiarities of these races, and so 

 learn as much as may be of the true origin of our modern 

 sheep. 



This is by no means as ancient as might be supposed. 

 Unlike the horse or the ox whose origin may be traced back 

 through the early ages of the history of the world, long 

 before mankind tame into existence, our sheep seems to 

 have been almost co-existent with the first appearance of 

 man. and may quite possibly have been the survival of the 

 domestication, and improvement thereby, of one of the 

 original breeds of the wild sheep. 



Of these there are several, but there is no evidence in 

 support of the belief that any one in particular has been so 

 domesticated and changed by special breeding, except in re- 

 gard to two of the ancient wild races referred to. These 

 are the Argali of Southern and Central Asia, and the Mus- 

 mon of Southern Europe. 



It is quite probable that both of these original races have 



