O V I s. 
profeffor Guildenftaedt, on the mountains of Caucafus; 
from wliofe foot arifes the very river on wliofe banks were 
its ancient haunts. 
This is by Dr. Turton marked as a var. (12.) of the 
common fheep. 
His var. 13. which he calls the morvant, belongs no 
doubt to this fpecies alfo, being another bearded variety 
of it: beard long, (not from the cheeks, but) on the fore¬ 
part of the brealt; a fhort mane on the neck. 
a. Ovis pudu, the Chili fheep : horns fmooth, round, 
divergent; tail none. This is a newly-difcovered fpecies, 
having been firft defcribed by Molina, in his Natural Hif- 
tory of Chili. He informs us that it is a native of the 
Andes ; that it is of a brown colour ; about the fize of a 
kid of half a year old ; with very much the appearance of 
a goat, but with fmall fmooth horns, bending outwards, 
and without any appearance of beard. It is of a grega¬ 
rious nature ; and, when the fnow falls on the upper parts 
of the mountains, defcends into the valleys in large herds, 
to feed in the plains of Chili, at which time it is eafily 
taken, and readily tamed. The female is without horns. 
3. Ovis aries, the common flieep: horns compreffed 
and lunate. 
Of all the animals w'ith which Divine Providence has 
ftored the world for the ufe of man, none is to be found 
more innocent, more ufeful, or more valuable, than the 
sheep. The flieep fupplies us with food and clothing, 
and finds ample employment for our poor at all times and 
feafons of the year, whereby a variety of manufactures of 
woollen cloth is carried on without interruption to do- 
meftic comfort and lofs to friendly fociety, or injury to 
health, as is the cafe w'ith many other occupations. Every 
lock of wool that grows on its back becomes the means 
of fupport to the ftaplers, dyers, pickers, fcourers, fcrib- 
lers, carders, combers, fpinners, {poolers, warpers, quee- 
lers, weavers, fullers, tuckers, burlers, fliearmen, preffers, 
clothiers, and packers, who, one after another, tumble 
and tofs, and twift, and bake, and boil, this raw' material, 
till they have each extracted a livelihood out of it; and 
then comes the merchant, who, in his turn, fliips it (in 
its higheft ftate of improvement) to all quarters of the 
globe, and thence brings back every kind of riches to his 
country, in return for this valuable commodity which the 
flieep affords. 
JBefidea this, the ufeful animal, after being deprived of 
his coat, produces another againft the next year ; and, 
when we are hungry, and kill him for food, he gives us 
his lkin to employ the fellmongers and parchment-makers, 
who fupply us with a durable material for fecuring our 
eftates, rights, and pofleflions ; and, if our enemies take 
the field againft us, fupplies us with a powerful inftru- 
ment for roufing our courage to repel their attacks. 
When the parchment-maker has taken as much of the 
lkin as he can ufe, the glue-maker comes after, and picks 
up every morfel that is left, and therewith fupplies a ma¬ 
terial for the carpenter and cabinet-maker, which they 
cannot do without, and which is eflentially neceflary, be¬ 
fore we can have elegant furniture in our houfes; tables, 
chairs, looking-glafles, and a hundred other articles of 
convenience; and, when the winter-nights come on, 
while we are deprived of the cheering light of the fun, 
the flieep fupplies us with an artificial mode of light, 
whereby we preferve every pleafure of domeftic fociety, 
and with wliofe affiftance we can continue our work, or 
write, or read, and improve our minds, or enjoy the focial 
mirth of our tables. Another part of the Slaughtered 
animal fupplies us with an ingredient neceflary for making 
good common loap, a ufeful ftore for producing cleanli- 
nefs in every family, rich or poor. Neither need the 
horns be thrown away; for they are converted by the 
button-makers and turners into a cheap kind of buttons, 
tips for bows, and many ufeful ornaments. From the 
very trotters an oil is extracted ufeful for many purpofes, 
and they afford good food when baked in an oven. Even 
the bones are ufeful alfo; for, by a late invention of Dr. 
Vo l. XVIII. No. 1226. 
93 
Higgins, they are found, when reduced to allies, to be 
an ufeful and effential ingredient in the compofition of 
the fined artificial ftone in ornamental work for chimney- 
pieces, cornices of rooms, houfes, &c. which renders the 
compofition more durable by effectually preventing its 
cracking. Any curious perfon would be much entertained 
to fee the manufactory of bone-afli, carried on in White- 
chapel-road, wherein the bones of flieep and cows undergo 
many ingenious proceftes. 1. There is a mill, to break 
them; 2. A cauldron, to extraCt their oil, marrow, and 
fat; 3. A reverberatory, to heat them red-hot; 4.. An 
oven, for tliofe bones to moulder to afhes ; 5. A ftill, to 
colleCt the fumes of the burnt bones into a brown fluid, 
from whence hartfhorn is made; 6. Furnaces for making 
parts thereof into Glauber’s falts ; 7. A fand-heat, con¬ 
taining twelve jars, for collecting a cryftallizing vapour 
into lal-ammoniac. 
If it be objected to this meek inoffenfive creature, that 
he is expenfive while living, in eating-up our grafs, &c. 
it may be anfwered, that it is quite the contrary; for he 
can feed where every other animal has been before him, 
and grazed all they could find; and that, if he takes a 
little grafs on our downs, or in our fields, he amply re¬ 
pays us for every blade of it, in the richnefs of the ma¬ 
nure which he leaves behind him. He protects the hands 
from the cold wintry blaft, by providing them with the 
fofteft leather for gloves. Every gentleman’s library is 
alfo more or lefs indebted to him for the binding of his 
books, for the flieath of his fword, and for cafes for his 
inftruments; in fhort, not to be tedious in mentioning 
the various ufes of leather, there is hardly any furniture 
or utenfil of life, but the flieep contributes to render ei¬ 
ther more ufeful, convenient, or ornamental. 
The domeftic fheep, in its moll valuable or woolly ftate, 
exifts hardly any-where in perfection, except in Europe, 
and fome of the temperate parts of Afia. When tranf- 
ported into very warm climates, it lofes its peculiar co¬ 
vering, and appears coated with hair, having only a fhort 
wool next the lkin. In very cold climates alfo, the ex¬ 
terior part of the wool is obferved to be hard and coarfe, 
though the interior is more foft and fine. In England, 
and fome other European regions, the wool acquires a pe¬ 
culiar length and finenefs, and is beft adapted to the va¬ 
rious purpofes of commerce. That of Spain is ftill finer, 
but lefs proper for ufing alone; and is mixed with the 
Englifh for the fuperior kinds of cloth. “ England,” 
fays Mr. Pennant, “ once the envy of Europe, for its 
vaft commerce in the productions of this creature, now 
begins to be rivalled by others, through the negleCt, the 
luxury, and the too-great avidity, of our manufacturers.” 
The flieep is proverbially a timid, Ample, and harmlefs, 
animal; yet, aa is well obferved by Mr. Smellie, in his 
edition of Buffon, “ Though the talents of the fheep are 
not fo brilliant as thofe of other quadrupeds, yet he ap¬ 
pears not to be that Itupid defencelefs creature painted by 
the French naturalift.” “ Sheep,” fays Mr. Smellie, 
“ when enflaved by man, tremble at the voice of the 
fhepherd or his dog; but, on thofe extenfive mountains 
where they are allowed to range almoft without controul, 
and where they feldom depend on the aid of the fhepherd, 
they aifume a very different mode of behaviour. In thefe 
fituations, a ram or a wedder will boldly attack a Angle 
dog, and often come off victorious; but, when the dan¬ 
ger is more alarming, they have recourfe to the collected 
Strength of the whole flock. On fuch occafions they draw 
up into a complete body, placing the young and the fe¬ 
males in the centre, while the males take the foremoft 
ranks, keeping clofe by each other. Thus an armed 
front is prefented on all quarters, and cannot eafily be 
attacked, without danger of deftruCtion to the aflailant. 
In this manner they wait with firmnefs the approach of 
the enemy; nor does their courage fail them in the mo¬ 
ment of attack; for, when the aggreflor advances within 
a few yards of the line, the rams dart upon them with 
fuch impetuofity as to lay him dead at their feet, unlefs 
B b he 
