On  the  Purik  Sheep  of  Thibet. 
G 7 
many  distinctions  in  sheep  as  to  wool  or  hair,  size,  horns,  &c.,  we 
found  in  the  last  Journal  a breed,  the  Herdwick,  with  an  addi- 
tional rib.  The  Purili  again  presents  a difference  in  one  of  the 
most  important  functions  of  animal  life.  The  size  of  the  Argali, 
little  less  than  that  of  a red-deer,  is  supposed  to  be  too  great  for 
the  parent  stock  of  our  domestic  sheep.  But  the  Purik  sheep, 
which  is  yet  smaller,  is  found  near  the  wild  Argali,  and  of  do- 
mestic breeds  seems  alone  to  resemble  it  in  fertility.  After  all, 
there  is  a distinct  breed  of  wild  sheep  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  Himalayas,  resembling  in  size  our  domestic  sheep,  a preserved 
specimen  of  which  may  be  seen  in  the  British  Museum.  Great 
doubt  must  therefore  still  hang  over  the  whole  matter. 
Neither  of  course  can  the  practical  question,  whether  the  Purik 
sheep  be  adapted  to  English  fanning,  be  as  yet  answered  posi- 
tively. They  have  thriven  admirably  at  Osborne;  but  they  have 
not  thriven  on  the  Welsh  mountains,  appearing  to  suffer  there 
from  excess  of  rain.  Nor  is  this  to  be  wondered  at.  For  the 
extraordinary  valley  from  which  they  come  is  said  indeed  to  be 
as  high  as  the  summit  of  Mont  Blanc,  but  it  is  almost  entirely 
deprived  of  rain,  though  snow  falls  occasionally.  Hence  the  arid 
character  of  its  vegetation,  and  hence  the  impossibility  of  culti- 
vating its  plants  in  England.  Our  southern  counties,  however, 
appear  to  be  sufficiently  dry,  if  the  breed  merit  culture.  The 
diminished  number  of  ewes  to  be  sustained  in  proportion  to  the 
produce,  must  of  course  be  a source  of  economy.  The  quality 
of  the  mutton  is  beyond  dispute.  If  they  retain  their  size,  the 
meat  might,  at  least,  compete  with  house-fed  lamb  ; and  there 
is  little  doubt  that  their  size  might  be  increased  by  generous 
food,  in  a few  generations.  As  to  their  early  maturity,  we  have 
no  distinct  knowledge,  so  far  at  least  as  regards  their  disposition 
to  fatten.  But  maturity  is  generally  in  proportion  to  the  fre- 
quency of  parturition,  as  is  clearly  seen  in  the  two  extreme  cases 
of  the  elephant  and  the  rabbit.  In  a scientific  point  of  view, 
it  would  also  be  worth  while  to  observe  whether  the  period  of 
gestation  be  the  same  as  in  ordinary  sheep,  namely,  five  months, 
a period  which  would  leave  the  ewe  only  two  months  in  the  year 
free  from  that  process,  scarcely  enough,  it  would  appear,  for 
the  nutrition  of  the  offspring.  Taking  into  consideration  that  this 
breed  comes  from  a race  of  men  who,  however  bleak  their  abode, 
are  evidently  good  farmers,  and  that  meat  of  fine  quality  is  now 
the  principal  object  of  English  farming,  it  appears  that  there  is 
much  encouragement  to  the  further  trial  of  this  interesting  breed 
of  sheep. 
Ph.  Pusey. 
