128 THE SHEEP AND ITS COUSINS 



to have been first taken to Sweden in 1723, to 

 Saxony in 1765, and to Silesia in 1768. Late in 

 the eighteenth century a few merinos from the flock 

 belonging to King George III. were taken to Cape 

 Colony, and from the product of these others were 

 carried in 1797 to New South Wales, which is now 

 the greatest merino-breeding country in the world, 

 and produces wool of very superior quality. Since, 

 however, it is the object of the present work to direct 

 attention to ancient rather than to modern breeds of 

 sheep, this part of the subject, interesting and impor- 

 tant as it undoubtedly is, cannot be pursued further. 

 A South European breed which approximates 

 to the merino in the large size, spiral twist, and 

 lateral extension of the horns of the rams, is the 

 Macedonian or Parnassian sheep, which appears to 

 have been originally a native of Macedonia and 

 Livadia, whence it has spread to other provinces 

 of Greece, Turkey, and even Smyrna. The horns, 

 as shown in the portrait of a ram formerly living in 

 the London Zoological Gardens, given by Mr. E. T. 

 Bennett,^ are, however, much longer than in the 

 merino, while the wool, instead of being curled and 

 tufted, is very long and straight, that on the middle 

 of the back falling on each side of the body almost 

 to the ground. According to Dr. L. J. Fitzinger,^ 



* The Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological Society, vol. i. 

 p. 259, London, 1835. 



* " Dber die Racen des zahmen Schafes," Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. 

 IVien, vol. xxxix. p. 355, i860. 



