NATUEAL HISTORY OF THE SHEEP. 



The sheep belongs to the order Ruminantia, or ruminating 

 animals, and is of small stature, of a white, and more rarely of 

 a brown or black color, has a small head, pointed ears, a curved, 

 narrow nose, a pointed mouth and a cloven upper lip. Some 

 races are provided with horns having knotty rings, but these 

 horns are more frequently found in the male than in the female : 

 in the latter they iM-e either smaller or entirely wanting. The 

 udder consists of two parts, and is furnished with two teats. 

 The greater portion of the body is covered with long, curly hair 

 or wool. Another peculiarity of the sheep is seen in two sacs or 

 cavities — one under the eyes and the other above the cleft of the 

 hoof — which secrete a greasy, viscid liquid. The sound pro- 

 duced by the voice of the sheep is called bleating. 



The sheep is certainly one of the most ancient domestic ani- 

 mals, and it is not surprising therefore that as little is known 

 about its origin and nativity as about those of the ox or cow. 

 According to all probabilities, its wool is a product of breeding, 

 since the wild species of sheep (especially the mufflow and 

 argali, which many consider the first parents or primitive species 

 of the sheep) have common hair, below which there is a woolly 

 coating. The sheep appears to be originally a mountaineer, as 



would appear from the facts that all wild species live in the 



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