28 THE AMEEICAN INFANTADOS. 



occasionally obtained from him which yielded from 4 lbs. 

 4i lbs. of washed wool per head. These sheep long enjoy 

 great celebrity, and are now represented in the pedigrees 

 many excellent pure bred flocks; but as a distinct family, th 

 have mostly been merged in the two next to be described. 



The Infantado oe Atwood Meeesto. — In ]813, Steph 

 Atwood, of Woodbury, Connecticut, bought a ewe of C 

 David Humphreys for $120. He bred this ewe and h 

 descendants to rams in his neighborhood which he knew 

 be of pure Humphreys' blood, until about 1830, after whi 

 period he uniformly used rams from his own flock. This 

 the distinct and positive statement of a man of conceded go 

 character, and has been persisted in from a period. long befc 

 the asserted facts would have had any efiect on the reputati 

 of his flock. From 1815 to 1824, and indeed down to a mu 

 later period, the pedigrees of "old-fashioned Merinos," 

 they were then termed, received very little respect 

 attention ; and, in fact, I am not aware that Mr. Humphrei 

 importation enjoyed any especial credit over several other 

 the principal importations, until its reputation was reflect 

 back on it by Mr. Atwood's own flock. Mr. Atwoc 

 moreover, is a purely practical man ; has been specially a: 

 almost exclusively devoted to his sheep ; and has always act 

 as his own shepherd. We have no right, then, to dou 

 either his sincerity or his accuracy. 



In 1840, his sheep were not far from the size and form 

 Mr. Jarvis' — though I think they were inclined to be a lit 

 flatter in the ribs, and perhaps a little deeper chested. Thi 

 wool was short, fine, even, weU crimped, brilliant, genera 

 thick, and very dark colored externally for that day. Soi 

 of them (particularly among the rams,) had a black exten 

 coat of hardened yolk, which was sticky in warm weath 

 and formed a stiff" crust in cold weather. The inside yc 

 was abundant, and generally colorless. The wool was si 

 shorter on the belly, and as with the Jarvis sheep, did n 

 very well cover the legs and head. Few of them had ai 

 below the knees and hocks. Their skins were mellow, loc 

 and of a rich pink color. The rams had a pendulous dew-1 

 and some of them neck-folds, or " wrinkles," of modera 

 size. They rarely exhibited them on other parts of the bod 

 and the "broad tail" and deep pendulous flank of the prese 

 day, were unknovm in both sexes. The ewes generally h; 

 dew-laps of greater or lesser width, sometinies dividing in 



