I90 THE SHEEP AND ITS COUSINS 



mediate between their two parents, although in 

 the character of their fleece they come nearer the 

 Colchian than the Italian stock. Horns may be 

 present or absent in both sexes. The long pendent 

 tail, which reaches the fetlocks, is regularly covered 

 with long and curly wool ; and a thick fleece of 

 moderately long, fine, soft, and curly wool clothes 

 the body. In colour these sheep are either uni- 

 formly white or black. 



In addition to Tarent, these sheep are also bred 

 in several other parts of Sicily, as well as locally in 

 that portion of Italy which formerly recognised the 

 Pope as sovereign, and even in Tuscany. On the 

 banks of the small brook which now represents 

 the river Galaso, so famous in classic poetry, and 

 flowing into the sea close to Tarent, may still be 

 seen a few of these much belauded white sheep. 

 They have, however, been largely replaced by the 

 half-bred black Italian sheep, of which large flocks 

 graze on the banks of the Galaso. From classic 

 times the shepherds have been accustomed to take 

 some of the flocks to the high mountain pastures 

 in summer, and the practice is carried on at the 

 present day in the neighbourhood of Naples, the 

 fat plains of Apulia forming the winter grazing 

 grounds, which are exchanged in summer for the 

 mountain pastures of the Abruzzo. Some of the 

 flocks remain, however, permanently in the lowlands, 

 with the natural result that their wool is far inferior 



