168 
THE BARBAUY BEOAD-TAILED SHEEP. 
PLATE XVII. 
From the great commercial intercourse possessed 
by the Cape of Good Hope, we might expect to find 
a large proportion of varieties among those animals 
•which are domestic, and accordingly we find very 
various breeds both from Europe and India, and par- 
ticularly some of the Dutch and Flemish breeds ; but 
the Broad or Fat-tailed, is now what is termed the 
South African or Hottentot breed. It is below the 
middle size. The fleece soft and short wool, and the 
name is derived from two masses of fat on each side 
of the inferior part of the tail, which often reach a 
great weight, and are esteemed as a delicacy ; those 
sheep which can grow them heaviest and largest be- 
ing picked out and endeavoured to be continued as 
a breed, on account of the luxury of this part ; a little 
carriage with wheels is sometimes attached to bear 
up the tail and protect it from rubbing on the 
ground. The Ovis steatopyga of southern Tartary, 
also belongs to these, but the ears are long and pen- 
dulous, while the broad-tailed breeds of northern and 
