THE IIUMINANT OEDEE. 265 



ElaHiicitij is also most desirable, for witliout it wool could not be 

 used in the manufacture of milled cloths. 



Most of the properties we have just pointed out are due to the 

 greasy matter which penetrates more or less the animal's coat. 

 This lubricating substance is of a verj^ complex nature, its com- 

 position varying in different breeds. The yolk, for so it is called, 

 IS more or less fluid and oily, and is secreted by small glands 

 peculiar to the skin of this race. 



When the yolk abounds, it communicates to the wool both 

 softness and pliability ; if it is thick and strongly coloured, it 

 imparts to the wool a rough and coarse feel, which necessitates a 

 special process of cleansing or scouring. 



Wool is naturally either white, brown, or black. Those 

 of the two last-named colours are less appreciated than the 

 first. 



The best wool is found on the sides of the animal's body, from 

 the shoulders to the croup, and underneath as far as the line of 

 the lowest part of the belly. 



On the lower part of the belly, where the fleece is less thick 

 (in fact, wanting altogether in some varieties), the locks of wool 

 are felted together, and short, because they are often crushed when 

 the animal lies down. 



On the back, the croup, and the top of the thighs, the regularity 

 and uniformity of the locks both diminish, nor does it possess 

 either the mellowness or the pliability of that on the sides. The 

 wool both on the upper and lower parts of the neck is frequently 

 found weak and pendent ; that on the head and front of the chest 

 is generally rougher and harsher, as well as being irregular in 

 length and very wavy. The wool on the withers is almost always 

 coarse ; that on the ends of the limbs frequently valueless. 



Let us now turn to the various breeds of Sheep. M. Sanson, in 

 his work on Zootcchiiie, classes the ovine race in two categories: 

 — The long-icoolled breed, that is, with long-stapled wool, straight, 

 or merely waved ; and the short-woolled breed, that is, those with 

 more closely-curled wool. 



In the long-wooUed breed the fleece is comparatively of small 

 value in a manufacturing point of view, these varieties being 

 specially devoted to the production of food. We will mention 

 the principal breeds of this kind. 



