33 
Eor the new animal the womhat was suggested, a rodent which 
burrows in the earth, feeds by night, and has (lesh which affords 
excellent eating. It abounds in districts of Australia. 
Here, then, is an animal which might be tried, but I fear there 
would bo some difficulty in getting it generally adopted as an 
article of food, for prejudice would be in the way. 
It remained, therefore, for us to cast about and see what sheep 
we could find wliich would come up to the necessary requirements. 
I shortly afterwards received a letter from Dr. Gardner, mention¬ 
ing a sheep which would answer the purpose, viz., the Purick 
sheep, which is Ibuud in the districts of the Ilimalaya. Long 
correspondence ensued about this sheep, as well as other small 
kinds of sheep, which were to be procured in different parts of 
the world. At length I heard of a small sheep which had been 
imported from Brittany by Mr. Baker, of the Pheasantry, 
Beaufort Street, Chelsea, AVhether this be the Purick sheep o f 
Dr. Gardner or not 1 am not aware; anyhow, I show it alive this 
evening, that persons may judge for themselves of the advisability 
of endeavouring to make this sheep, or a sheep like it in size, &c. 
general in this country. It is certainly a very little beast to begin 
our acclimatising efforts with, but I look at it in tbe light of the 
proverbial “ small end of the wedge.” Tlie habits of this aninml 
are exceedingly hardy; it lives in a wild, barren place, and I should 
suggest its adoption by persons who have a lawn or grass plat, or 
still better by cottagers, who could turn it out to live on the grass 
which grows about our hedges and ditches, and which is often 
wasted by not being grazed down."^ 
The second point the Society intend to commence with—is the 
introduction of game birds. The Hon. Grautley Berkeley, in his 
wanderings on the prairies of America, was much struck with the 
advisability of endeavouring to acclimatise in tliis country the 
prairie grouse and the tree grouse of America (of which I now 
show specimens, and relative to which I have much information.) 
This geulleman became acquainted with several persons who are 
willing to aid him by sending over these birds, and also some 
specimens of American deer. Captain Hardy, of the Eoyal 
Artillei’y, has kindly promised to send us over from Halifax, where 
* As regains sheep, I would also mention that wc intend to pay attention 
to auimuJs which arc hkely to effect iuqirovcments in wool, but as the sub¬ 
ject has been so admirably treated by Professor Owen in hia lecture on the 
raw materials fi*om the animal kingdom, in the Great Exhibition, gwen in 
this theatre December 10th, 18.51, and also by Mr. Leonard Wray, in the 
JournaJ t^f the Society of ArU, Vol. VIIL, No. 377. Feb. 10th, 1860, it 
would be presumption in mo to touch iqx>u the subject. 
