76 THE SHEEP AND ITS COUSINS 



In the latter part of the eighteenth century 

 George Culley ^ gave the name of the dun-faced 

 breed of Andalucia to a breed of small, short-tailed 

 sheep reared in Andalucia and Castile, particularly 

 in the Sierra de Somo. These sheep, according to 

 Fitzinger,^ differed from the other European short- 

 tailed breeds by the general absence of horns in both 

 sexes, while they were further distinguished by the 

 finer, shorter, and more woolly character of the 

 fleece. The face and limbs were short-haired, and 

 the body was clothed with moderately long and 

 shaggy wool, but this became much shorter on the 

 lower surface, which is partially bare. On the face 

 and legs the colour varied from dun to blackish 

 brown, whereas on the body it was a mixture of 

 black and yellowish or reddish brown arranged in 

 piebald fashion, although wholly black, or even 

 wholly white, specimens were not uncommon. In 

 Fitzinger's time it is stated that these hardy little 

 sheep were kept in the open throughout the year, 

 even when the pastures were deep in snow. The 

 fine under-wool was of excellent quality, and used 

 for the finer kinds of cloth, while the longer outer 

 wool was employed in the manufacture of coarser 

 materials ; the weight of the fleece did not, how- 

 ever, exceed a couple of pounds. The mutton was 

 of good quality, with a peculiarly fine flavour. The 

 native name of the breed was ovejas marinas. 



• Observations on Live Stock, Dublin, 1789. ' Op. cit., p. 216. 



