On  the  Purik  Sheep  of  Thibet. 
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“ The  novelties  which  had  already  met  my  view  in  natural  history  are 
so  great  as  might  swell  a letter  to  a volume,  and  divert  me  from  its  prac- 
tical objects — a breed  of  sheep  of  Ladakh  (which  ought,  perhaps,  to  have 
precedence  in  mention),  when  at  full  growth  has  scarcely  acquired  the 
size  of  a Southdown  lamb  of  five  or  six  months  ; yet  in  the  fineness  and 
weight  of  its  fleece,  and  in  the  flavour  of  its  mutton,  added  to  its  pecu- 
liarities of  feeding  and  constitution,  yields  not  in  merit  to  any  race  hitheito 
discovered.  Perhaps  the  dog  of  the  British  cottager  is  not  so  completely 
domiciliated  as  is  the  Purik  sheep  of  this  country.  In  the  night  it  finds 
shelter  either  in  a walled  yard  or  under  the  roof  of  its  master ; and  fre- 
quently in  the  day  picks  up  its  food  on  a surface  of  granite  rock,  where 
the  eye  of  the  cursory  inquirer  can  scarcely  discover  a speck  of  vegetation, 
though  closer  investigation  shows  stunted  tufts  of  wormwood,  hyssop, 
bugloss,  and  here  and  there  a few  blades  of  a dwarfed  grass.  But  the 
indefatigable  industry  of  the  animal  detects  and  appropriates  substances  so 
minute  and  uninviting  as  would  be  unseen  or  be  neglected  by  ordinary 
sheep,  or  those  of  larger  breed  even  in  this  country.  Almost  all  the  land 
round  this  capital  is  under  tillage  for  wheat  and  barley,  and  in  lucerne  ; 
but  the  harvest  will  not  have  been  two  months  off  the  ground,  ar,d  a single 
blade  of  vegetable  substance  shall  not  be  discovered — not  a stem  of  stubble, 
nor  a crown  of  lucerne.  Tire  stubble  is  bitten  off  by  the  common  cow,  the 
Tho  (a  hybrid  between  the  Yak  male  and  the  cow),  and  the  shawl-goats ; 
whilst  the  ass  not  only  devours  the  stock  of  the  lucerne,  but  by  pawing 
lays  bare  the  taproot  of  the  upper  part,  of  which  he  generally  gets  about 
three  or  four  inches.” 
This  close-feeding  is  certainly  a bad  specimen  of  stock-keeping, 
and  of  farming  also.  It  may  very  likely,  however,  arise  from  a 
tenure  of  land  such  as  that  of  our  common-fields,  on  which  even 
yet  stock  is  allowed  by  law  an  unlimited  range  over  the  young 
clovers  in  autumn.  Presently  we  shall  find  what  speaks  better 
for  Ladakh  farming.  Mr.  Moorcroft  proceeds  to  describe  the 
singularly  domestic  habits  of  the  Purik  sheep  : — 
“The  Purik  sheep,  if  permitted,  thrusts  its  head  into  the  cooking-pot, 
picks  up  crumbs,  is  eager  to  drink  the  remains  of  salted  and  buttered  tea 
or  broth,  and  examines  the  hands  of  its  master  for  lattro  (barley  flour),  or 
for  a cleanly -picked  bone,  which  it  disdains  not  to  nibble.  A leaf  of 
lettuce,  a peeling  of  turnip,  the  skin  of  an  apricot,  are  its  luxuries.  The 
coarse  black  tea  of  China  forms  the  basis  of  the  nourishment  of  the  inha- 
bitants of  this  ill-governed  country,  and  its  use  is  conducted  with  the 
utmost  frugality.  Rubbed  to  a powder  and  tied  in  a cloth,  it  undergoes 
frequent  boilings;  and  when  it  has  given  out  the  whole  of  its  colouring 
matter — a process  rather  tedious — the  residue  falls  to  the  share  of  the 
sheep. 
“ I have  been  minutely  tedious  upon  their  acquired  habits  of  feeding,  as 
introductory  to  the  conclusion  that  there  exists  not  a cottager  in  Britain 
receiving  no  parochial  relief  who  might  not  keep  three  of  these  sheep 
with  more  ease  than  he  now  supports  a cur  dog  ; nor  a little  farmer  who 
might  not  maintain  a flock  of  fifteen  or  twenty  without  appropriating  half- 
an-acre  exclusively  to  their  use.  They  would  derive  support  from  that 
produce  which  now  either  wholly  runs  to  waste  or  goes  to  the  dunghill 
in  a raw,  unprofitable  state;  whereas,  by  giving  sustenance  to  the  sheep, 
it  would  be  animalised,  and  improved  as  manure.”. 
This  is,  perhaps,  a doubtful  anticipation  of  Mr.  Moorcroft’s. 
VOL.  XI.  F 
