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subject of the origin and history of the breed bristles with 
errors and conjectures. The sheep of Asia, the sheep con- 
tinent, are roughly classed as fat-tails and fat-rumps. 
‘Persian lamb,” ‘‘ broad-tail,’’ ‘‘ Tibetan lamb,’”’ etc., etc., 
are trade designations, and misleading. The chief character- 
istics of the true breed are the black colour, the beautiful 
lustre and the tightness of the curl in the new-born lambs’ 
coat, and the absence of under-down. These seem to come 
from a strain called the Danadar—the ‘‘ nigger’’ among fur- 
bearing sheep. The account of Pallas (eighteenth-century 
Russian traveller) is still in the main correct. The old story 
that the ewes were killed for the sake of getting the baby 
lambs’ skin in the best condition is now known to be a fable. 
The ewes often drop their young prematurely, from the effects 
of,a peculiar disease called ‘‘djut.’’ Fur-lambs are killed 
when a few days old. 
The Emir of Bokhara. the chief sheep-master in the 
Khanate, is an éxcellent trader (netting about 1,000,000 roubles 
per annum), but gives little or no attention to maintaining 
purity of breed. To procure pure Karakuls is almost impos- 
sible; even those of Thorer, the great German furrier, show 
signs of commixture. The old idea that the Karakul lost its 
characteristics when bred abroad is disproved. The breed 
has been more or less successfully introduced into the Crimea, 
North Russia, Germany and German South West Africa, the 
United States (by Dr. C. C. Young, the greatest English- 
speaking authority on the subject), and quite recently into 
Scotland. The Scotch experiment is still in the bud, but 
promises to lead up to not only a remunerative home-grown 
fur-industry, but a meat trade as well. 
{ Discussion. ] 
Mr. H. J. Erwes, F.R.S.: Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen— 
I think we ought to feel under an obligation to Professor 
Wallace for having brought forward this subject, which is one 
of which I think probably less is known in the avricultural 
world than almost any other. I have no doubt whatever that 
if we can succeed in getting hold of the right breed, these 
sheep might probably be introduced into some of our Colonies, 
South Australia for instance, to great advantage. But there 
is one point—and I am sure Professor Wallace will not be 
angry if I say this—on which I want to make a criticism. I 
should have liked his paper a great deal better if it had been 
the result of his own knowledge. I am afraid that in a great 
part of this paper he has relied upon Dr. Youny. I have no 
personal knowledge of Dr. Young, but after reading various 
