194 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 
assailant that is not to be easily vanquished. In the moun- 
tainous parts of Wales, it is stated by Bingley,* “ they do 
not always collect in large flocks, but graze in parties of 
from eight to a dozen, of which one is stationed at a distance 
from the rest, to give notice of the approach of danger. 
When the sentinel observes any one advancing, at the dis- 
tance of two or three hundred yards, he turns his face to 
the enemy, keeping a watchful eye upon his motions, allow- 
ing him to approach as near as eighty or a hundred yards ; 
but when the suspected foe manifests a design of coming 
nearer, the watchful guard alarms his comrades by a loud 
hiss or whistle, twice or thrice repeated, when the whole 
party instantly scour away with great agility, always seek- 
ing the sjteepest and most inaccessible parts of the moun- 
tains.” 
The ewe usually produces only one lamb at a time, though 
in a flock, it often happens that there are several instances 
where they have two, and in some rare cases even three 
at a birth. It is a remarkable peculiarity of this species of 
animals, that they drink but rarely and sparingly, their 
thirst being, in all probability, slaked by the juices of the 
vegetables on which they feed, and the dew or rain by 
which the herbage is moistened. 
Sheep, like other domestic animals, appear to become 
subject to many diseases, which, if not totally wanting, are 
at least very rare among them in the wild state. Water 
often accumulates in their head; this disease, which is termed 
the dunt, is almost invariably fatal ; they are also affected 
with an extraordinary species of mortification, called foot- 
rot, this will spread through a whole flock, and produce 
great devastation; they are likewise liable to a variety of 
other complaints, the most common of which is the rot. 
This is known by the dullness of the animal’s eyes ; livid 
hue of the gums; the sorder on the teeth; the fetor of the 
breath, and by the ease with which the wool, and in the 
latter stage of it, even the horns may be detached. The 
origin of this disease is not clearly understood, the prevail- 
ing opinion, however, is that it is owing to feeding Sheep 
on wet or moist grounds. Sheep are very obnoxious to the 
attacks of certain insects; thus, one of the species of gad fly 
is very troublesome, and even dangerous, by depositing its 
eggs in the nose, the larva from which breed in immense 
numbers in that cavity, and in the frontal sinuses ; they are 
also subject to these larva in the skin, as well as to ticks and 
lice. The ordinary life of the Sheep, is from twelve to 
thirteen years. 
The benefits which this amimal bestows on mankind are 
exceedingly numerous. Its horns, its flesh, its tallow, and 
even its bowels, all furnish articles of great utility. The 
* Animal Biography. 
horns are manufactured into various articles, as spoons, but- 
tons, cups, &c. The flesh is too well known, as one of our 
most valuable meats, to require notice. The manufacture 
of its wool into cloths has long formed the principal source 
of wealth to England, and, in all probability, will become 
equally so in this country. The skin, is prepared into 
leather, for inferior kinds of shoes, for the coverings of 
books, for gloves, and into parchment. The entrails, by a 
proper preparation, form those strings for musical instru- 
ments known under the name of catgut. The bones are 
employed for a variety of purposes in the arts. The milk 
has more consistence than that of the cow, but is embued 
with a rank taste ; the ch'eese made from it, though rich, is 
necessarily strong. 
The domestic varieties of the Sheep are exceedingly 
numerous; besides the minor distinctions which have origi- 
nated from breeding, there are some peculiar to different 
•countries that deserve notice. The Spanish, or merino, 
which are remarkable for the fineness of their wool, and 
the form of their horns, are supposed, by some authors, to 
have originally been introduced into Spain from England. 
The African presents a curious instance of the effects of a 
tropical climate. The form of this variety is meagre, their 
legs are long, their ears pendant, and the covering of the 
body has so much of the dryness and crispness of hair, that 
it can scarcely be considered as wool. 
The Wallachian is remarkable for large spiral horns; this 
variety has spread through the different islands of the Medi- 
terranean Archipelago, and is also frequent in Austria and 
Hungary. The northern regions of Europe afford a variety, 
distinguished by having their heads furnished with three, 
four, and more horns. But the most striking discrepancy 
is found in a race inhabiting the Barbary coast and some 
parts of Asia; these animals resemble the common Sheep, 
except in the unnatural dimensions of the tail. This is 
of a square or round form, like a cushion, and attains the 
weight of thirty pounds, rendering it, it is said, so great an 
incumbrance to the animal, that it is often found necessary 
to support it by a kind of small cart. 
The Sheep of Bucharia are also considered by Linnaeus, 
as a marked variety. It is from these animals that the Per- 
sians derive one of their celebrated articles of luxury. The 
lamb skins of Bucharia, which form part of the dress of 
every one that can afford it, in Persia, are chiefly procured 
from lambs, taken from ewes killed during the period of 
gestation. They have a glossy and fur like texture, and are 
usually of a gray or black colour. 
The last variety we shall notice, is the Tartarian; this is 
distinguished by having no tail, and from the immense size 
of its rump, which appears like a large tumour, and weighs 
as high as forty pounds. The Sheep themselves are also of 
