APPENDIX, No. IV. S5' 



there ; and abundance of food for the fheep Is to be found 

 at all feafons, without trouble or charge to the farmer ; 

 whereas, in countries where fevere cold takes place, and 

 fnow for a long time covers the ground, the Iheep are apt 



to 



in Andalufia during the whole year, carry coarfe fleeces, rather refembling 

 hair than wool, there cannot remain a doubt but that Mr. Le Blanc has 

 been impofed upon by fome equivocal expreflion concerning the fixed iheep ia 

 Spain, to believe that the perambulations of the fheep there were of no ufe in 

 preferving the wool. Thele peranabulations, however, as he fuppofes, were 

 probably not adopted at firft with a view to the improvement of the wool, 

 but merely as a necefiary meafure for the prefer vation of the fheep. For the 

 mountains during winter are fo long covered with fnow, that it would be 

 very difficult to preferve large flocks of (heep alive there during that fea- 

 fon of the year, while the plains are covered with verdure ; and in fum- 

 nicr, the hills produce abundance of rich pafture, while the grafs in tize 

 plains is fo entirely fcorched as to afford no fufficient fuflenance to nume- 

 rous flocks; fo that thefe perambulations became in fome meafure ne- 

 ceffary, and extremely convenient for the prefervation of the fheep ; and 

 the improvement of the wool, in confequence of that management, has 

 been an uncxpedlcd and. accidental improvement : But the improvement 

 is not the lefs real becaufe it was accidental. 



Mr. Le Blanc's opinion, that the quality of the wool depends upon the 

 *nalf rather than the female, is equally problematical. Mr. D' Aubenton, from 

 whom this notion has probably been borrowed, goes yet a little farther, 

 and maintains, that the quality of the wool in flieep,and the hair of other 

 animals, always takes its peculiarities from the male only, while the form of 

 the carcafe itfdf depends on the female. The faiSt, however, is, that among 

 iheep as well as other animals, the quality of the wool, as well as the fhapc 

 and make of the body, are nearly alike influenced by the male and by 

 the female ; though particular inflances fometimes occur, where the pro- 

 geny in general participate more of the nature of the parent of one fex 

 than of the other : But this happens not to be fo general in any one way 

 as to give room for any rule to be eflablifhed concerning it. 



This circumflance is neceffary to be here adverted to ; becaufe the con- 

 clufion drawn from it by Mr. Le Blanc, -jiz. that the nature of the ewe, 

 in attempting to improve the breed of fine-wooled (heep, is of little or no 

 confequence, might, if adopted, be attended with very bad confequences. 

 I enlarge not, however, on the proofs of what is here aflerted, as the ex- 

 perience 



