No. 244.] 169 



would form a valuable article for coarse wear, and everlasting for 

 waistcoats, cloaks, &c., making camblets of considerable value. This 

 animal, from his immense size, docility, and the great amount of fat 

 he would yield, perhaps in point of profit, if the cross was judiciously 

 made, would vie with any sheep we have. W?nt of space prevents 

 my entering into details. 



I am now going to n:ention sheep that I think really worthy of the 

 investigation, discussion, and attention of the Institute, and what is 

 singular, this breed is the most numerous in the world. 5th. The 

 Steatypoja, or fat tail, is the most abundant, and the largest sheep in 

 the world. The body of the ram swells gradually with fat towards 

 the posterior where a solid mass of fat is formed on the rump, 6th. 

 A variety raised by the Bucharian Tartars and Persians, a m'xed 

 breed of the long and fat tailed sheep. The Bucharian Tartars have 

 a very valuable traffic with the furs of the lambs of this variety, which 

 are exquisitely fine and beautiful. The same variety is raised by the 

 Persians, but I must cut off what I wish to say, and refer you to the 

 work of Dr. Pallas' " Spicihgia^'' " Zoologica fasciculus undecimusP 

 Berlin, 1776, In Russell's account of the history of Aleppo, you 

 will find an account of these sheep, and also in " Shaw's Travel's," 

 and at the Cape of Good Hope, they bring sheep to be shipped there 

 whose tails weigh from twenty-fiive to thirty pounds. These works 

 will be found in the public libraries, and if there is no translation of 

 the works of that accurate zoologist, Dr, Pallas, the Institute could 

 not do better than to have all translated relative to those sheep, of 

 which there are four varieties. The work of the Abbe Demavent, in 

 his history of Africa, describes this kind of sheep at Cape Guardafui. 

 All the sheep are white with the exception of their faces, which are 

 black, small heads, handsome brc d, broad fat tails. Their great 

 size, quantity of wool, easily improved, and the immense amount of 

 tallow they will give, near 60 lbs., this breed skilfully crossed must 

 be valuable. The mutton of the fat tail sheep is very good, Dr- 

 Pallas mentions a fact as accurate, which may be doubted. He says 

 the ewe of this kind of sheep couples clandestinely with the domestic 

 he-goat, producing a fleece of wool and hair. I have kept goats for a 

 great length of time, and know others that have done the same^ and 

 never saw an attempt of the kind, and I could mention facts against 

 it of whole counties. The fat tailed sheep is, says Osbeck in his 

 journey to China, bred throughout the whole of that empire. These 



