SHEEP, in Zoology

SHEEP, in Zoology. See Ovis and Wool.

Amongst the various animals with which Divine Providence has stored the world for the use of man, none is to be found more innocent, more useful, or more valuable than the sheep. The sheep supplies us with food and clothing, and finds ample employment for our poor at all times and seasons of the year, whereby a variety of manufactures of woollen cloth is carried on without interruption to domestic comfort and loss to friendly society or injury to health, as is the case with many other occupations. Every lock of wool that grows on its back becomes the means of support to staplers, dyers, pickers, scourers, scriblers, carders, combers, spinners, spoolers, warpers, queelers, weavers, fullers, tuckers, burlers, shearmen, pressers, clothiers, and packers, who, one after another, tumble and toss, and twist, 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, ships it (in its highest state of improvement) to all quarters of the globe, from whence he brings back every kind of riches to his country, in return for this valuable commodity which the sheep affords.

Besides this, the useful animal, after being deprived of his coat, produces another against the next year; and when we are hungry, and kill him for food, he gives us his skin to employ the fell-mongers, and parchment-makers, who supply us with a durable material for securing our estates, rights, and possessions; and if our enemies take the field against us, supplies us with a powerful instrument for rousing our courage to repel their attacks. When the parchment-maker has taken as much of the skin as he can use, the glue-maker comes after and picks up every morsel that is left, and there-with supplies a material for the carpenter and cabinet-maker, which they cannot do without, and which is essentially necessary before we can have elegant furniture in our houses; tables, chairs, looking-glasses, and a hundred other articles of convenience: and when the winter nights come on, while we are deprived of the cheering light of the sun, the sheep supplies us with an artificial mode of light, whereby we preserve every pleasure of domestic society, and with whose assistance we can continue our work, or write or read, and improve our

our minds, or enjoy the social mirth of our tables. Another part of the slaughtered animal supplies us with an ingredient necessary for making good common soap, a useful store for producing cleanliness 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 useful ornaments. From the very trotters an oil is extracted useful for many purposes, and they afford good food when baked in an oven.

Even the bones are useful also; for by a late invention of Dr Higgins, they are found, when reduced to ashes, to be an useful and essential ingredient in the composition of the finest artificial stone in ornamental work for chimney-pieces, cornices of rooms, houses, &c. which renders the composition more durable by effectually preventing its cracking (A).

If it is objected to the meek inoffensive creature, that he is expensive while living, in eating up our grass, &c. it may be answered, 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 grass on our downs or in our fields, he amply repays us for every blade of grass in the richness of the manure which he leaves behind him. He protects the hands from the cold wintry blast, by providing them with the softest leather gloves. Every gentleman's library is also indebted to him for the neat binding of his books, for the sheath of his sword, and for cases for his instruments, in short, not to be tedious in mentioning the various uses of leather, there is hardly any furniture or utensil of life but the sheep contributes to render either more useful, convenient, or ornamental.

As the sheep is so valuable an animal, every piece of information concerning the proper method of managing it must be of importance. It will not therefore be useless or uninteresting to give some account of the manner of managing sheep in Spain, a country famous for producing the best wool in the world.

In Spain there are two kinds of sheep: the coarse-woolled sheep, which always remain in their native country, and are housed every night in winter; and the fine-woolled sheep, which are always in the open air, and travel every summer from the cool mountains of the northern parts of Spain, to feed in winter on the southern warm plains of Andalusia, Mancha, and Estrema-

dura. Of these latter, it appears from accurate computations, that there are about five millions (B); and that the wool and flesh of a flock of 10,000 sheep produced yearly about 24 reals a head, about the value of 12 English sixpences, one of which belongs to the owner, three to the king, and the other eight are allowed for the expences of pasture, tythes, shepherds, dogs, salt, shearing, &c. Ten thousand sheep form a flock, which is divided into ten tribes, under the management of one person, who has absolute dominion over fifty shepherds and fifty dogs.

M. Bourgoanne, a French gentleman, who resided of many years in Spain, and directed his inquiries chiefly to the civil government, trade, and manufactures, of that country, gives the following account of the wandering sheep of Segovia. "It is (says he) in the neighbouring mountains that a part of the wandering sheep feed during the fine season. They leave them in the month of October, pass over those which separate the two Castiles, cross New Castile, and disperse themselves in the plains of Estramadura and Andalusia. For some years past those of the two Castiles, which are within reach of the Sierra-Morena, go thither to pass the winter; which, in that part of Spain, is more mild; the length of their day's journey is in proportion to the pasture they meet with. They travel in flocks from 1000 to 1200 in number, under the conduct of two shepherds; one of whom is called the Mayorul, the other the Zagal. When arrived at the place of their destination, they are distributed in the pastures previously assigned them. They return in the month of April; and whether it be habit or natural instinct that draws them towards the climate, which at this season becomes most proper for them, the inquietude which they manifest might, in case of need, serve as an alarm to their conductors."

Mr Arthur Young, in that patriotic work which he conducted with great industry and judgment, the Annals of Agriculture, gives us a very accurate and interesting account of the Pyrenean or Catalonian sheep.

"On the northern ridge, bearing to the west, are the pastures of the Spanish flocks. This ridge is not, however the whole; there are two other mountains, quite in a different situation, and the sheep travel from one to another as the pasturage is short or plentiful. I examined the soil of these mountain pastures, and found it in general stony; what in the west of England would be

(A) Any curious person would be much entertained to see the manufactory of bone ash, now (about 1794) carried on by Mr Minish of White-chapel, New Road, wherein the bones of sheep and cows undergo many ingenious processes. 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 those bones to moulder to ashes; 5. A still to collect the fumes of the burnt bones into a brown fluid, from whence hartshorn is made; 6. Furnaces for making parts thereof into Glauber's salts; 7. A sand heat containing twelve jars, for collecting a crystallizing vapour into sal-ammoniac.

(B) In the 16th century the travelling sheep were estimated at seven millions: under Philip III. the number was diminished to two millions and a half. Ustariz, who wrote at the beginning of the 18th century, made it amount to four millions. The general opinion is, that at present it does not exceed five millions. If to this number the eight millions of stationary sheep be added, it will make nearly thirteen millions of animals, all managed contrary to the true interests of Spain, for the advantage of a few individuals. For the proprietors of stationary flocks also have privileges which greatly resemble those of the members of the Mesta. According to Arriquebar, Spain contains eight millions of fine-woolled sheep, ten millions of coarse-woolled, and five hundred thousand bulls, oxen, and cows.

be called a stone brash, with some mixture of loam, and in a few places a little peaty. The plants are many of them untouched by the sheep: many ferns, narcissus, violets, &c. but burnet (poterium sanguisorba) and the narrow-leaved plantain (plantago lanceolata) were eaten, as may be supposed, close. I looked for trefoils, but found scarcely any: it was very apparent that soil and peculiarity of herbage had little to do in rendering these heights proper for sheep. In the northern parts of Europe, the tops of mountains half the height of these (for we were above snow in July) are bogs; all are so which I have seen in our islands, or at least the proportion of dry land is very trifling to that which is extremely wet: Here they are in general very dry. Now a great range of dry land, let the plants be what they may, will in every country suit sheep. The flock is brought every night to one spot, which is situated at the end of the valley on the river I have mentioned, and near the port or passage of Picada: it is a level spot sheltered from all winds. The soil is eight or nine inches deep of old dung, not at all inclosed: from the freedom from wood all around, it seems to be chosen partly for safety against wolves and bears. Near it is a very large stone, or rather rock, fallen from the mountain. This the shepherds have taken for a shelter, and have built a hut against it; their beds are sheep skins, and their door so small that they crawl in. I saw no place for fire; but they have it, since they dress here the flesh of their sheep, and in the night sometimes keep off the bears, by whirling fire-brands: four of them belonging to the flock mentioned above lie here. I viewed their flock very carefully, and by means of our guide and interpreter, made some inquiries of the shepherds, which they answered readily and very civilly. A Spaniard at Venasque, a city in the Pyrenees, gives 600 livres French (the livre is 10½ English) a-year for the pasturage of this flock of 2000 sheep. In the winter he sends them into the lower parts of Catalonia, a journey of 12 or 13 days, and when the snow is melted in the spring, they are conducted back again. They are the whole year kept in motion, and moving from spot to spot, which is owing to the great range they every where have of pasture. They are always in the open air, never housed or under cover, and never taste of any food but what they can find on the hills.

Four shepherds, and from four to six large Spanish dogs, have the care of this flock: the latter are in France called of the Pyrenees breed; they are black and white, of the size of a large wolf, a large head and neck, armed with collars stuck with iron spikes. No wolf can stand against them; but bears are more potent adversaries: if a bear can reach a tree, he is safe; he rises on his hind legs, with his back to the tree, and sets the dogs at defiance. In the night the shepherds rely entirely on their dogs; but on hearing them bark are ready with fire-arms, as the dogs rarely bark if a bear is not at hand. I was surprised to find that they are fed only with bread and milk. The head shepherd is paid 120 livres a year wages and bread; the others 80 livres and bread. But they are allowed to keep goats, of which they have many which they milk every day. Their food is milk and bread, except the flesh of such sheep or lambs as accidents give them. The head shepherd keeps on the mountain top, or an elevated spot, from whence he can the better see around while the flock

traverses the declivities. In doing this the sheep are exposed to great danger in places that are stony; for by walking among the rocks, and especially the goats, they move the stones, which, rolling down the hills, acquire an accelerated force enough to knock a man down, and sheep are often killed by them; yet we saw how alert they were to avoid such stones, and cautiously on their guard against them. I examined the sheep attentively. They are in general polled, but some have horns; which in the rams turn backwards behind the ears and project half a circle forward; the ewes horns turn also behind the ears, but do not project; the legs white or reddish; speckled faces, some white, some reddish; they would weigh fat, I reckon, on an average, from 15 lb. to 18 lb. a quarter. Some tails short, some left long. A few black sheep among them: some with a very little tuft of wool on their foreheads. On the whole they resemble those on the South Downs; their legs are as short as those of that breed; a point which merits observation, as they travel so much and so well. Their shape is very good; round ribs and flat straight backs; and would with us be reckoned handsome sheep; all in good order and flesh. In order to be still better acquainted with them, I desired one of the shepherds to catch a ram for me to feel, and examine the wool, which I found very thick and good, of the carding sort, as may be supposed. I took a specimen of it, and also of a hoggit, or lamb of last year. In regard to the mellow softness under the skin, which, in Mr Bakewell's opinion, is a strong indication of a good breed, with a disposition to fatten, he had it in a much superior degree to many of our English breeds, to the full as much so as the South Downs, which are for that point the best short-woolled sheep which I know in England. The fleece was on his back, and weighed, as I guessed, about 8 lb. English; but the average, they say, of the flock is from four to five, as I calculated by reducing the Catalonian pound of 12 oz. to ours of 16, and is all sold to the French at 30s. the lb. French. This ram had the wool of the back part of his neck tied close, and the upper tuft tied a second knot by way of ornament; nor do they ever shear this part of the fleece for that reason: we saw several in the flock with this species of decoration. They said that this ram would sell in Catalonia for 20 livres. A circumstance which cannot be too much commended, and deserves universal imitation, is the extreme docility they accustom them to. When I desired the shepherd to catch one of his rams, I supposed he would do it with his crook, or probably not be able to do it at all; but he walked into the flock, and singling out a ram and a goat, bid them follow him, which they did immediately; and he talked to them while they were obeying him, holding out his hand as if to give them something. By this method he brought me the ram, which I caught, and held without difficulty.

The best sort of sheep for fine wool are those bred in Herefordshire, Devonshire, and Worcestershire; but they are small, and black-faced, and bear but a small quantity. Warwick, Leicestershire, Buckingham, and Northamptonshire, breed a large-boned sheep, of the best shape and deepest wool we have. The marshes of Lincolnshire breed a very large kind of sheep, but their wool is not good, unless the breed be mended by bringing in sheep of other counties among them, which is a scheme of late very profitably followed there. In this

Sheep. this county, it is no uncommon thing to give fifty guineas for a ram, and a guinea for the admission of an ewe to one of these valuable males, or twenty guineas for the use of it for a certain number of ewes during one season. Suffolk also breeds a very valuable kind of sheep. The northern counties in general breed sheep with long but hairy wool: however, the wool which is taken from the neck and shoulders of the Yorkshire sheep is used for mixing with Spanish wool in some of their finest cloths.

Wales produces a small hardy kind of sheep, which has the best tasted flesh, but the worst wool of all. Nevertheless it is of more extensive use than the finest Segovian fleeces; for the benefit of the flannel manufacture is universally known. The sheep of Ireland vary like those of Great Britain; those of the south and east being large and their flesh rank: those of the north and the mountainous parts small and their flesh sweet. The fleeces in the same manner differ in degrees of value. Scotland breeds a small kind, and their fleeces are coarse.

But the new Leicestershire breed is the most fashionable, and of course the most profitable breed in the island. Joseph Alton of Clifton, who raised himself from a plough-boy, was the first who distinguished himself in the midland counties of England for a superior breed of sheep. How he improved this breed is not known; but it was customary for eminent farmers in his time to go to Clifton in summer to choose and purchase ram-lambs, for which they paid two or three guineas. This man was succeeded by Mr Bakewell; and it may reasonably be supposed that the breed, by means of Alton's stock, had passed the first stage of improvement before Mr Bakewell's time. Still, however, it must be acknowledged, that the Leicestershire breed of sheep owes its present high state of improvement to the ability and care of Mr Bakewell.

⁶ Account of Mr Bakewell's breed. Marshall's Midland Counties, vol. i. p. 332. "The manner in which Mr Bakewell raised his sheep to the degree of celebrity in which they deservedly stand, is, notwithstanding the recentness of the improvement, and its being done in the day of thousands now living, a thing in dispute; even among men high in the profession, and living in the very district in which the improvement has been carried on!

⁷ How it is supposed he improved it. "Some are of opinion that he affected it by a cross with the Wiltshire breed; an improbable idea, as their form altogether contradicts it: others, that the Ryeland breed were used for this purpose; and with some show of probability. If any cross whatever was used the Ryeland breed, whether we view the form, the size, the wool, the flesh, or the fatting quality, is the most probable instrument of improvement.

"These ideas, however, are registered merely as matters of opinion. It is more than probable that Mr Bakewell alone is in possession of the several minute of improvement; and the public can only hope that at a proper time the facts may be communicated for the direction of future improvers.

"Whenever this shall take place, it will most probably come out that no cross with any alien breed whatever has been used; but that the improvement has been

effected by selecting individuals from kindred breeds; from the several breeds or varieties of long-woolled sheep, with which Mr Bakewell was surrounded on almost every side, and by breeding, inandin (c), with this selection: solicitously seizing the superior accidental varieties produced; associating these varieties; and still continuing to select, with judgment, the superior individuals.

"It now remains to give a description of the superior class of individuals of this breed, especially ewes and wedders, in full condition, but not immoderately fat. The rams will require to be distinguished afterwards.

"The head is long, small, and hornless, with ears somewhat long, and standing backward, and with the nose shooting forward. The neck thin, and clean toward the head; but taking a conical form; standing low, and enlarging every way at the base; the fore end altogether short. The bosom broad, with the shoulders, ribs, and chine extraordinary full. The loin broad, and the back level. The haunches comparatively full towards the hips, but light downward: being altogether small in proportion to the fore-parts. The legs, at present, of a moderate length; with the bone extremely fine. The bone throughout remarkably light. The carcass, when fully fat, takes a remarkable form; much wider than it is deep, and almost as broad as it is long. Full on the shoulder, widest on the ribs, narrowing with a regular curve towards the tail; approaching the form of the turtle nearer perhaps than any other animal. The pelt is thin, and the tail small. The wool is shorter than long wools in general, but much longer than the middle wools; the ordinary length of staple five to seven inches, varying much in fineness and weight."

"This breed surpasses every other in beauty of form; they are full and weighty in the fore quarters; and are remarkable for smallness of bone. Mr Marshall, who has been of so much benefit to agriculture and his country by his publications, informs us, in his Rural Economy of the Midland Counties, that he has seen a rib of a sheep of this breed contrasted with one of a Norfolk sheep; the disparity was striking; the latter nearly twice the size; while the meat which covered the former was three times the thickness; consequently the proportion of meat to bone was in the one incomparably greater than in the other. Therefore, in this point of view, the improved breed has a decided preference: for surely while mankind continue to eat flesh and throw away bone, the former must be, to the consumer at least, the more valuable.

The criterions of good and bad flesh while the animal is alive differ in different species, and are not properly settled in the same species. One superior breeder is of opinion, that if the flesh is not loose, it is of course good; holding, that the flesh of sheep is never found in a state of hardness, like that of ill-fleshed cattle: while others make a fourfold distinction of the flesh of sheep; as looseness, mellowness, firmness, hardness: considering the first and the last equally exceptionable, and the second and third equally desirable; a happy mixture of the two being deemed the point of perfection.