FINE WOOL SHEEP ITUSBANDRY. 9 
“The race varies greatly in size and beauty in 
different parts of Spain. It is -commonly rather 
smaller than the middle-sized sheep of America. The 
body is compact, the legs short, the head long, the 
forehead arched. The ram generally (but not inva- 
riably) carries very large spiral horns, has a fine eye 
and a bold step. The ewes have generally no horns. 
The wool of these sheep is so much finer and softer 
than the common wool, as to bear no sort of com- 
parison with it; it is twisted and drawn together like 
a cork-screw; its length 1s generally about three 
inches, but when drawn out it will stretch to nearly 
double that length. Though the wool is, when 
cleaned, extremely white, yet on the sheep it appears 
a yellowish or dirty brown color, owing to the close- 
ness of the coat, and the condensation of the perspi- 
ration on the extremities of the fleece. The wool com- 
monly covers great part of the head, and descends to 
the hoof of the hind feet, particularly in young sheep ; 
and it is also much more greasy than the wool of 
other sheep.” 
To supply data which will enable any one curious 
on the subject to make some practical comparisons 
between these sheep and their descendants in the 
United States, I select the following, from a more 
extensive table by Petri, who visited Spain in the 
early part of this century, for the express purpose of 
examining its sheep: and I add similar admeasure- 
ments of American Merinos: 
putation. Like all the descriptions of animals by writers of that day, 
it is, however, exceedingly meagre and vague. But I do not think 
the writers of that day considered the distinctions between a few of 
the best cabanas as of much importance—regarding them as about 
equal in value, 
