. 
202 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 
ground. In the Egyptian breed the tail is 
broad throughout; in the Syrian it narrows 
to a point. The ordinary weight of the 
Syrian sheep’s tail is 15 lbs.; but in.some 
well fattened examples it reaches 70 or 
80 lbs. Ludolph saw in Egypt a sheep's tail 
of 80 lbs. weight. This overgrown tail is a. 
great encumbrance to the animal. In order 
to lighten the burden, the shepherds fasten 
under it a small board, sometimes with wheels. 
attached, to make it easy to draw over the 
ground. 
In Greece, Wallachia, and Western Asia. 
a fine breed of sheep, quite different from 
the English forms, is seen. It is called the 
WALLACHIAN SHEEP. When the Zoological 
Gardens were first founded here, some of 
these sheep were introduced and crossed with: 
English breeds. The horns are tall spirals,. 
as in the great kudu antelope. The body 
is large, and the fleece long and straight,. 
and more like that of the long: -haired Peo 
than curly wool. 
There are now few countries in the 
Photo by #7. T. Newman] (Berkhamsted 
world to which sheep have not been intro- 
BLACK-FACED MOUNTAIN-SHEEP duced. They were probably among the 
The sheep of the high mountains and heather-moors earliest animals to be domesticated. Cer- 
tainly they are the first to be mentioned; 
for we learn that ‘Abel was a keeper of sheep,” while Cain tilled the earth. The feud 
between the keeper of flocks and the grower of crops 
typified in this ancient quarrel still goes on wherever 
the wild mountain breeds of sheep are kept, for 
there is of necessity always danger that the wander- 
ing sheep may raid the plots of corn. In Spain a 
curious and ancient set of laws regulates the passage 
of the flocks to and from the mountain pastures 
through the corn-lands. 
It is said that the name of the famous breed of 
Spanish sheep known as MERINOS recalls their foreign 
origin from across the sea, and that they were originally 
imported into Spain from England. Whether that be 
so or not, it is certain that no one could recognise 
them now. The finest merino sheep, especially those 
bred in Australia, into which country they were 
imported some forty years ago, look as if covered 
with a dense growth of moss. The close wool grows 
not only on their backs, sides, and bellies, but on legs, 
forehead, and nose. There are believed to be ten 
millions of merino sheep in Spain, most of which 
are migratory. They are called “ transhumantes,” 
and are taken from the plains to the mountains LEICESTER EWE 
and from the mountains to the plains yearly. These A heavy, long-woolled breed 
Photo by 7, T. Newman] [Berkhamsted 
