192 THE SHEEP AND ITS COUSINS 



chiefly valued for their wool, which is of a fine and 

 silky quality. The lambs yield an astrakhan, 

 known in the fur-trade as Ukrainer lamb, which 

 is preserved to an older age than would otherwise 

 be possible by damping and pressing the locks of 

 wool in the fashion referred to under the heading of 

 the Colchian breed. 



Of Ukrainer lamb, Mr. Poland,^ after stating 

 that the skins are about equal in size to those 

 of the Persian fat-tailed breed, observes that " nearly 

 all the skins collected (about 20,000) are black, 

 although sometimes a white spot is found. The 

 price of a skin ranges from three to six shillings ; 

 these are usually dyed black in Leipsic. When dyed, 

 the wool, which is short and curly, has rather a dull 

 appearance ; it, however, wears well, and for this 

 reason is mainly used for cavalry saddles (officers') 

 in England, although a few of the higher class are 

 employed by furriers." 



From what has been written above with regard 

 to the colour of the fleece of the adult, it may be 

 a question whether the words black and white in 

 the above quotation are not misplaced, unless, 

 indeed, the lambs differ from their parents in 

 colour. 



' Op. cit., p. 331. 



