272 
MAMMALIA. 
Before beginning tbe operation, wliicb takes place during tbe 
months of May and June, the Sheep are plunged into the water 
and their wool is rubbed with the hand, to cleanse it from the 
grease ; it is then cut off with shears. All the portions of the 
fleece which are cut off must hold together without gap or rent. 
Before it is offered for sale it is doubled and rolled up and firmly 
bound. 
In France the trade in wool is very important. It is estimated 
that the flocks there produce about two hundred million pounds 
Fig. 103.— Breed of Larzae. 
weight of wool in the rough, equivalent to seventy-seven million j 
pounds weight of cleansed wool. Scarcely any wool at all is 
exported ; indeed, French manufacturers buy annually about | 
seventy to eighty million pounds weight of foreign growth. 
The French fabric, called Merino, has a well-merited renown. 
In no other country are they able to produce such brilliancy 
and softness. In fact, French manufacturers have rendered them- 
selves worthy of their produce. 
Ox Genus . — This genus is easily distinguished from the other 
groups of the hollow-horned Ruminants. It is composed of large 
and heavy animals, with concave horns, turned outwards, in the 
shape of a crescent. The head is terminated by a wide muzzle, 
the legs are strong and robust ; the skin of the neck is loose and 
hanging, forming a large fold, called the dew-lap. 
