ISO THE SHEEP AND ITS COUSINS 



Here it should be mentioned that an apparently 

 pure-blooded breed of small sheep inhabiting 

 Crete, where it is the commonest kind, is iden- 

 tified by Dr. Keller * with the turbary sheep. 

 He describes it as of small bodily size, with legs 

 of medium length, and stout hoofs. The head is 

 goat-like, without a Roman profile, but elongated, 

 with a narrow muzzle. The horns, which are 

 mostly light-coloured, but dark in black individuals, 

 curve backwards and outwards, and are strongly 

 compressed and sharply two-edged, with both 

 surfaces devoid of transverse wrinklings. The tail 

 is long, reaching nearly to the hocks. The fleece 

 is moderately long, not wavy, but coarse and stiff. 

 Generally the colour is white, but iron-grey and 

 black individuals are by no means uncommon. 



These sheep abound on the flanks of the central 

 mountain chain of Crete ; they are active in their 

 movements, and get over the most rugged ground 

 without difficulty. Hybrids occur between these 

 turbary sheep and the fat-tailed sheep which are 

 largely imported into western Crete from Tripoli. 



Terra-cotta statuettes and other evidence in- 

 dicate the occurrence of this supposed turbary 

 sheep in the Minos period of Crete ; while certain 

 remains discovered by Dr. Keller show that it 

 dates back to the polished stone age. It is added 



' " Studien iiber die Haustiere der Mittelmeer-Inseln," Neue Denks. 

 Schweiz. Natfor. Ges., vol. xlvi. p. 143, 1911. 



