228 THE DOMESTIC SHEEP. 



product, has become if indeed it has not been so even from 

 pre-historic times the chief object of the shepherd. And 

 this objective necessity of the shepherd has made it indis- 

 pensable that the professional breeder if he himself is not 

 an expert in this line of his business must give much 

 thought and study to the nature and product of the flocks, 

 as well as the changing fashions in clothing fabrics needing 

 wool. And the breeder must so develop needed changes in 

 the sheep as to meet all the demands of the manufacturer, 

 who only reflects the tastes and fashions of the general pub- 

 lic who consume the goods he makes. The shepherd then 

 and thus is not in precise control of the world, but he is the 

 servant and purveyor for it iii this regard, and he must 

 keep in the front as the procession passes by, as may be said, 

 and conform his movements to those of the irresistible mass 

 of the public. 



There was a time when the Merino was the only kind of 

 civilised domestic sheep. It furnished the fine wools which 

 were spun and woven by the noble women of the most an- 

 cient times. For in one of the earliest written books, in 

 which we have the history of Job, we find the excellent 

 mistress of a noble household providing in this way for 

 her dependants. So the noble ladies of Rome spun and wove 

 the luxuriant woolen robes, and dyed them for their hus- 

 bands and fathers and brothers in the costly Syrian pur- 

 ple. And this custom gave origin to our common term for 

 unmarried women, viz., spinsters. And to this day the 

 Merino then the only domesticated sheep holds the front 

 place among the wool bearers of the world, counting more 

 than five-sevenths of the whole number of sheep now exist- 

 ing. But since these ancient days the constant progress 

 in civilization, and practical comfort growing out of it, 

 has greatly varied the demand for woolen goods; and for 

 some centuries past breeders have given their attention to 

 the development of breeds of coarser wooled sheep. Thus 

 the Cotswold originated from a Spanish coarse-wooled 

 variety and the native English sheep, were improved grad- 

 ually, until the beautiful Southdown was" developed and per* 

 fected, and became the progenitor of most of our excellent 

 short and middle wool sheep of what are commonly known 

 ns the Down breeds. And so this constantly improved cul- 



