THAT all domestic animals originally existed in a wild or savage state, seems to be an incontestable fact: The history of those already given furnishes ample proof of this position; for we still find horses, asses, and bulls, living totally independent of the human race. Can man, who has subjected so many millions of individuals, boast of having conquered and enslaved an entire species? As all animals were created without his aid, is it not reasonable to suppose, that Nature bestowed on them the faculty of existing and multiplying without his assistance? If, however, we attend to the weakness and stupidity of the sheep, if we consider, that this helpless animal is even unable to save himself by flight; that all the carnivorous animals are not only his mortal enemies, but prefer him to every other prey; that the species are not very fertile; that the life of individuals is short, &c. we would be tempted to think, that [462] the sheep was originally committed to the protection and guardianship of man, and that, without his aid, this animal could neither subsist nor multiply, especially as no wild sheep have ever been found in the deserts. Wherever man has not the dominion, the lion, the tiger, and the wolf, reign by the laws of force and of cruelty. These sanguinary and rapacious animals live longer and multiply faster than the sheep. In a word, if our flocks, which are now so prodigiously numerous, were still abandoned, the number and voracity of their enemies would annihilate the species in a very short time.
It is, therefore, probable, that, without the assistance of man, the sheep could never have subsisted, or continued its species in a wild state. The female is absolutely devoid of every art, and of every mean of defence. The arms of the ram are feeble and awkward. His courage is only a kind of petulance, which is useless to himself, incommodious to his neighbours, and is totally destroyed by castration. The wedder is still more timid than the sheep. It is fear alone that makes sheep so frequently assemble in troops: Upon the smallest unnusual [sic] noise, they run close together; and these alarms are always accompanied with the greatest stupidity.* They [463] know not how to fly from danger, and seem not even to be conscious of the hazard and inconve- [464] nience of their situation. Wherever they are, there they remain obstinately fixed; and neither rain nor snow can make them quit their station. To force them to move, or to change their route, they must be provided with a chief, who is learned to begin the march: The motions of this chief are followed, step by step, by the rest of the flock. But the chief himself would also continue immoveable, if he were not pushed off by the shepherd, or by his dog, an animal which perpetually watches over their safety, which defends, directs, separates, assembles, and, in a word, communicates to them every movement necessary to their preservation.
Of all quadrupeds, therefore, sheep are the most stupid, and derive the smallest resources from instinct. The goat, who so greatly resembles the sheep in other respects, is endowed with much more sagacity. He knows how to conduct himself on every emergency: He avoids danger with dexterity, and is easily reconciled to new objects. But the sheep knows neither how to fly nor to attack: However imminent her danger, she comes not to man for assistance so willingly as the goat; and, to complete the picture of timidity and want of sentiment, she allows her lamb to be carried off, without attempting to defend it, or showing any marks of resentment. Her grief is not even expressed by any cry different from that of ordinary bleating.* [465]
But this animal, so contemptible in itself, and so devoid of every mental quality, is, of all others, the most extensively useful to man. From the sheep we are at once supplied both with food and cloathing [sic], without mentioning the particular advantages derived from the milk, the fat, the skin, the bowels, the bones, and the dung. To this animal, Nature seems to have given nothing that redounds not to the immediate advantage and conveniency of man.
Love, which, in animals, is the most active and most general sensation, seems to be the only one that communicates vivacity to the ram. When under the influence of this passion, he becomes petulant, fights, and sometimes even attacks the shepherd. But the ewe, though in [466] season, discovers not the smallest emotion: Her instinct extends no farther than not to refuse the approaches of the male, to choose her food, and to distinguish her own offspring from those of the rest of the flock. The perfection, or certainty of instinct, always augments in proportion to the mechanism, or innateness of the cause by which it is produced.* A young lamb, in the midst of the most numerous flocks, searches for, and discovers its mother, without ever once committing a mistake. It has been alledged, that sheep are susceptible of the pleasures of music; that they feed with more appetite, have better health, and fatten sooner, by the sound of the pipe. But the remark is more probable, that music serves only to amuse the shepherd, and that the origin of the art was derived from this solitary and inactive kind of life.
These animals, so simple and dull in their intellect, are likewise very feeble in their constitution. They cannot continue long in motion: Travelling weakens and extenuates them. When they run, they pant, and soon lose their breath. [467] The ardour of the sun is equally incommodious to them, as moisture, frost, and snow. They are subject to many diseases, most of which are contagious. A redundancy of fat often kills them, and always renders the ewes barren: They bring forth with difficulty, frequently miscarry, and require more care than any other domestic animal.*
When the ewe is about to bring forth, she should be separated from the rest of the flock, and watched, in order to be ready to assist her in delivery. The lamb frequently presents cross-ways, or by the feet. In such cases, if not assisted, the mother’s life is in great danger. When she is delivered, the lamb should be drawn from the paps of the mother. As this first milk is bad,+ and would be hurtful to the lamb, it should not [468] be permitted to suck till afresh stock has accumulated. The lamb is kept warm, and shut up for three or four days with the mother, that it may learn to know her. To recover the strength of the ewe, she should be fed, for some time, with good hay, grinded barley, or bran mixed with a little salt. Her water should be lukewarm, and whitened with the flour of wheat, beans, or millet. At the end of four or five days, she may be allowed to return by degrees to her ordinary mode of living, and to pasture among her neighbours;* but, to prevent the milk from being chaffed, she should not be conducted to any great distance. Some time after, when the lamb has acquired strength, and begins to frisk about, it may be allowed to follow its mother to the fields.
All the lambs which have the appearance of feebleness are generally sent to the butcher; and those only are kept which are most vigorous, largest, and best covered with wool. Lambs of the first litter are never so good as those of succeeding litters. When we want to rear lambs which are brought forth in the months of October, November, December, January, or February, they are kept in the stable, and only allowed to go out to suck every morning and [469] evening, till the beginning of April. Some time before this last period, they are fed with a little grass every day, to accustom them to their new species of nourishment. They may be weaned when a month old; but it is better to suckle them six weeks or two months. White lambs are always preferred to those which are black or spotted; because white wool gives a higher price than that of any other colour.
In the temperate weather of spring or autumn, the lambs may be castrated at the age of five or six months, or even a little later.* There are two methods of performing this operation. The testicles are either removed by incision, or the vessels which terminate in them are destroyed by a strait ligature. Castration renders lambs sick and melancholy. To prevent the disgust which succeeds, they should have bran mixed with salt for two or three days.
At the age of twelve months, rams, ewes, and wedders, lose the two fore-teeth of the under jaw: Six months after, the two neighbouring teeth likewise fall out; and, at three years of [470] age, they are all replaced, and are then equal and pretty white. But, in proportion as the animal increases in years, the teeth begin to lose their enamel, and become blunt, unequal, and black. The age of the ram may be known by his hors, which appear the first year, and often at birth, and have a fresh ring added to them every year that he lives. Ewes seldom have any horns; but, in place of them, they have two bony protuberances. Some ewes, however, have two, and even four horns. These ewes are every way similar to the common kind; and their horns are from five to six inches long, and less twisted than those of the ram. When ewes have four horns, the two anterior ones are shorter than the other two. The ram is capable of generating in 18 months, and the ewe can produce when a year old. But it is better to prevent all communication between them till the ewe be two years of age, and the ram three. The young produced at more early periods, and even the first productions of these animals, are always feeble and ill-conditioned. One ram is more than sufficient to serve 25 or 30 ewes.* The ram should always be selected from the strongest and most handsome of his species. They should be garnished with horns; for hornless rams, of which there are some in our climates, are less [471] vigorous and less proper for propagating.* A good and beautiful ram should have a strong thick head, a wide front, large black eyes, a flat nose, big ears, a thick neck, a long high body, a large crupper and reins, massy testicles, and a long tail. The best rams for breeding are those which are of a white colour, well covered with wool upon the belly, the tail, the head, the ears, and as far as the eyes. Ewes, whose wool is most abundant, most bushy, largest, most silky, and whitest, are always to be preferred, especially if, at the same time, they are large, have thick necks, and walk nimbly. It has also been remarked, that those which are rather meagre than fat, are the best breeders.
The season of ewes is from the beginning of November to the end of April. However, when nourished with stimulating food, as bread made of hemp-seed, and salted water, they conceive at any time.+ Ewes are allowed to be covered [472] three or four times; after which they are separated from the rams, who prefer the aged ewes, and despise those that are younger. During the rutting season, ewes should not be exposed to rainy or stormy weather; for moisture prevents conception, and a clap of thunder often produces an abortion. A day or two after copulating, they are allowed to return to their ordinary mode of living; for, if the use of salted water, hemp-seed-bread, and other stimulating food, were continued, they would infallibly miscarry. They carry five months, and bring forth in the beginning of the sixth. They generally produce one lamb, but sometimes two. In warm climates, they can produce twice a year; but, in France, and in colder climates, only once. To have lambs in the month of January, the ram is admitted to the ewes towards the end of July, or beginning of August. Those which are covered in September, October, and November, produce in February, March, and April. We may also have plenty of lambs in May, June, July, August, and September; and they only become rare in October, November, and December. The ewes give milk abundantly for seven or eight months. This milk affords pretty good nou- [473] rishment to children and country-people.* It makes very good cheese, especially when mixed with cow-milk. The time of milking ewes is immediately before they go out to the field, or soon after their return. In summer, they may be twice milked every day, and once in winter.
Ewes, when with young, grow fat; because they then eat more than at any other period. As they frequently hurt themselves, and miscarry, they sometimes become barren, and some of them produce monsters. However, when properly managed, they bring forth during life, i.e., for ten or twelve years; but they are generally old and useless at the age of seven or eight years. The ram, who lives twelve or fourteen years, becomes unfit for propagating when eight years old. He should then be castrated, and fattened along with the old ewes. The flesh of the ram, even after being castrated and fattened, has always a disagreeable taste: That of the ewe is flabby and insipid. But the flesh of the wedder furnishes the most succulent and best of all our common dishes.
When men want to form a flock with a view to profit, they purchases ewes and wedders at the age of eighteen months, or two years, and a hundred of these might be managed by a single shepherd.+ If vigilant, and aided by a good [474] dog, he will lose very few of them. When conducting them to the fields, he ought to go before, accustom them to the sound of his voice, and to following him without stopping, or going aside among the corn, or the vines, where they commit great devastation. The sea-coasts, or plains on the tops of hills, afford them the best pasture. But low, moist, and marshy grounds, should always be avoided. During winter, they are fed, in the stable, with bran, turnip, hay, straw, lucerne, saintfoine, ash and elm leaves, &c. When the weather is not very bad, they should be allowed, chiefly for the sake of exercise, to go out every day. In this cold season, they are not led to the fields before ten in the morning, where they remain for four or five hours: After which they are made to drink, and are conducted back about three o-clock afternoon. In spring and autumn, on the contrary, they are led out as soon as the sun has dissipated the moisture, or hoar-frost, and are not brought back till sun-set. In these two season, it is sufficient to make them drink once a-day, and immediately before they return to the stable, where they must always have forage, but ion smaller quantity during winter. It is only in summer that they ought to feed entirely in the fields, where they are conducted twice a-day, and also made to drink twice. They are brought out at daybreak, allowed to feed four or five hours, and, after drinking, are led back to the fold, or some [475] other shady place. About three or four o’clock afternoon, when the excessive heat begins to diminish they are again pastured till night comes on. Were it not for the ravages of the wolf, they ought to remain in the field during the whole night, as is practised [sic] in Britain, which would make them both more vigorous and more healthful. As the rays of the sun, when very warm, are apt to affect these animals with a vertigo, they should always be pastured with their heads turned from the sun, so that the body may form a kind of shade to defend the head. Lastly, to preserve their wool, they should not be allowed to feed among thorns, briars, thistles, &c.
In dry elevated grounds, where the wild thime [sic] and other odoriferous plants abound, the flesh of the sheep is of a better quality, than when fed in low moist plains. But sandy downs on the sea-coast produce the best mutton, because the herbage is saltish, and nothing improves the relish of mutton so much as pasture of this kind: Besides, it gives an agreeable savour [sic] to the milk of the ewe, and increases its quantity. These animals are extremely fond of salt, and, when given in moderate quantities, it is very salutary. In some places, a bag of salt, or a salt-stone, is put into the fold, which the creatures lick alternately.
Every year, those which begin to grow old, should be separated from the flock, for the purpose of fattening, because then a different ma- [476] nagement is necessary. If, in summer, they should be conducted to the field before sun-rising, that they may feed upon grass moistened with dew. Nothing contributes more to fatten wedders than water taken in great quantities; and nothing retards their fattening more than the heat of the sun. For this reason, they should be put into the fold or shade at eight or nine o’clock in the morning, before the heat becomes too violent; and they ought to have a little salt, in order to excite their appetite for water. They should be led out a second time, about four o’clock afternoon, to fresh and moist pastures. By this treatment, they acquire, in two or three months, all the appearances of being fleshy and fat. But this fat, which originates from the great quantities of water drunk by the animal, only a kind of pursy swelling, and would soon occasion the rot, if not prevented by killing them immediately after they acquire this fallacious appearance. Even their flesh, instead of being firm and juicy, is frequently very loose and insipid. To produce good mutton, beside the treatment above recommended, the animals should have better nourishment than grass. In winter, and indeed in all seasons, they may be fattened by keeping them in stables, and feeding them with the flour of barley, oats, wheat, beans, &c. mixed with salt, to increase their appetite for drink. But, whatever mode be followed, it should be executed as quickly as possible; for [477] they cannot be fattened a second time,* most of them dying of diseases of the liver.
Worms are frequently found in the livers of animals: A description of those of the wedder and ox may be seen in the Journal des Savans,+ and in the German Ephimerides.3 It was formerly imagined, that these worms were peculiar to ruminating animals: But M. Daubenton discovered the same species in the liver of the ass; and it is probable they exist in several other quadrupeds. Butterflies, it has likewise been said, are sometimes found in the liver of the wedder. M. Rouillé communicated to me a letter from M. Gachet de Beausort, physician at Montiers, of which the following is an extract: “It is an old remark, that our Alpine wedders, which are the best in Europe, sometimes suddenly lose their flesh; that their eyes turn white and gummy; that their blood grows serous, having hardly any red globules; that their tongues are parched; and that their noses are stuffed with a yellow purulent mucus: Though the creatures continue to eat plentifully, these symptoms are accompanied with extreme debility, and at last terminate in death. From repeated dissections, it has been discovered, that the animals had always butterflies in their livers. These butterflies were white, and furnished with wings; and their heads were near- [478] ly oval, hairy, and about the size of those of the silk-worm fly. Above seventy, which I squeezed out of the two lobes, convinced me of the truth of this fact. The convex part of the liver was also in a mangled condition. The butterflies are found in the veins only, and never in the arteries. Small butterflies, and likewise small worms, have been discovered in the cystic duct. The vena portarum and capsala Glissonii were so soft, as to yield to the slightest touch. The lungs, and other viscera, were sound.” &c. If Dr Gachet de Beausort has been particular in his description of these butterflies, he might, perhaps, have removed the suspicion, that the animals he saw were only the common worms found in the liver of the sheep, which are very flat, broad, and of a figure so singular, as to appear, at first sight, to be rather leaves than worms.
The wool of the sheep is shorn every year. In warm countries, where no danger arises from making the animal quite bare, they do not sheer the wool, but tear it off; and this operation is performed twice a-year. But in France, and in colder climates, the fleece is short only once a-year, and a part of it is allowed to remain, in order to protect the animal from the inclemency of the weather.* The operation is performed [479] in the month of May, after washing the sheep, to render the wool as clean as possible. The month of April is too cold; and, if delayed till June or July, the wool does not grow sufficiently long to protect the animal from the cold of winter. The wool of the wedder is generally better, and in greater quantity, than that of the ewe or ram. The wool upon the neck and about the top of the back, is of a better quality than that upon the thighs, the tail, the belly, &c. and that taken from dead or diseased animals, is the worst. White wool is preferred to gray [480] brown, or black, because it is capable of being dyed any colour; and smooth sleek wool is better than that which is curled. It is even alledged, that wedders, whose wool is curled, are not so good as the others.
Land may be much improved by folding sheep: For this purpose a piece of ground is inclosed, and the flock shut up in it every night during the summer-season. The dung, urine, and heat of the animals soon meliorate exhausted, cold, or barren grounds. A hundred sheep, in one summer, will fertilize eight acres of land for six years.
It has been remarked by the antients, that all ruminating animals have suet: But this remark, strictly speaking, holds only with regard to the sheep and goat: The suet of the wedder is more copious, whiter, drier, firmer, and better than that of an other animal. Fat or grease is very different from suet, the former being always soft, while the latter hardens in cooling. The greatest quantity of suet is found about the kidneys; and the left kidney furnishes more than the right. There are also considerable quantities in the epiploon or web, and about the intestines; but it is not near so firm or good as that of the kidneys, the tail, and other parts of the body. Wedders have no other grease but suet; and their whole flesh is covered with it. Even the blood contains a considerable quantity [481] of suet; and the semen is so charged with it, as to give that liquor a different appearance from that of other animals. The semen of men, of the dog, horse, ass, and probably of every animal which affords not suet, dissolves with cold; or, when exposed to the air, becomes more and more fluid from the moment it escapes from the body. But the semen of the ram, and perhaps of every animal that has suet, hardens and loses its fluidity with its heat. I remarked this difference when examining these liquors with the microscope: That of the ram fixes a few seconds after coming from the body; and, in order to discover the living organic particles, of which it contains prodigious numbers, its fluidity must be preserved by the application of heat.
In the sheep, the taste of the flesh, the fineness of the wool, the quantity of suet, and even the size of the body, vary greatly in different countries. In France, the province of Berri abounds most in sheep. Those about Beauvais, and in some other parts of Normandy, are fatter and more charged with suet. They are very good in Burgundy; but the best are fed upon the sandy downs of our maritime provinces. The Italian, Spanish, and even the English wools, are finer than the French wool. In Poitou, Provence, the environs of Bayonne, and several other parts of France, there is a race of sheep which have the appearance of being foreign. They are larger, stronger, and [482] [PLATE XIV HERE] [PLATE XV HERE] [PLATE XV HERE] [PLATE XV HERE] better covered with wool than the common kind. They are likewise more prolific, producing frequently two lambs at a time. The rams of this race engender with the common ewes, and produce an intermediate kind. In Italy and in Spain, there are a great variety of races; but they ought all to be regarded as of the same species with our common sheep, which, though so numerous and diversified, extend not beyond Europe. Those animals with a long broad tail, so common in Asia and Africa, and which are called Barbary sheep by travellers, appear to be a species different from the ordinary kind, as well as from the Pacos and Lama of America.
As white wool is most valued, black or spotted lambs are generally slaughtered. In some places, however, almost all the sheep are black; and black lambs are often produced by the commixture of white rams with white ewes. In France, there are only white, brown, black, and spotted sheep: But in Spain, there is a reddish kind; and, in Scotland, there are some of a yellowish colour. But all these varieties of colour are accidental than those produced by different races, which, however, proceed from the influence of climate, and the difference of nourishment. [483]
I here give figures of a ram and ewe, of which drawings were sent me by the late Mr Colinson, fellow of the Royal Society of London, under the names of the Walachian ram and ewe. As this learned naturalist died soon afterwards, I could not discover whether these sheep, whose horns are extremely different from those of the ordinary kind, be common in Walachia, or whether they are only an accidental variety.
In the northern parts of Europe, as Denmark and Norway, the sheep are not good; but, to improve the breed, rams are occasionally imported from England. In the islands adjacent to Norway, the seep remain in the fields during the whole year; and they become larger and produce finer wool than those which are under the care and direction of men. It is alledged, that those sheep, which enjoy perfect liberty, always sleep, during the night, on that side of the island from whence the wind is to blow next day. This natural indication of the weather is carefully attended to by the mariners.*
The rams, ewes, and wedders of Iceland, differ chiefly from ours, by having larger and thicker horns. Some of them have three, four, and [484] even five horns. But this peculiarity of having more horns than two, must not be considered as common to the whole race of Iceland sheep; for, in a flock of four or five hundred, hardly three or four wedders can be found with four or five horns, and these are sent to Copenhagen as rarities. As a farther proof of their being scarce, they give a higher price in Iceland than the common kind.*
* The horns of the common sheep are twisted spirally and pointed outwards: There are eight cutting teeth in the lower jaw, and none in the upper; and the hoofs are cloven. Pennant, Synops. p. 10.
Ovis aries, cornibus compressis lunatis; Linn. Syst. nat. 97.
Ovis Plinii, lib. 8. c. 47. Gesner. quad. 771. Raii Syn. quad. 73.
Widdor Schaff, Klein, quad. 13.
Aries laniger, cauda rotunda brevi; Brisson. Quad. 48 [back to page 462].
* Though the talents of the sheep are not so brilliant as those of some other quadrupeds; yet he appears not to be that stupid, defenceless [sic], timid creature pained in the text. All tame animals lose a portion of that sagacity, dexterity, [463] and courage, which they are obliged to employ against their enemies in a wild state; because they have been long accustomed to rely upon the protection of man. Sheep, when enslaved by men, tremble at the voice of the shepherd or his dog. But, on those extensive mountains, where they are allowed to range almost without control, and where they seldom depend on the aid of the shepherd, they assume a very different mode of behaviour. In this situation, a ram, or a wedder, boldy attacks a single dog, and often comes off victorious. But, when the danger is of a more alarming nature, like man, they trust not to the prowess of individuals, but have recourse to the collected strength of the whole flock. On such occasions, they draw up into one compact body; they place the young and the females in the centre; and the strongest males take the foremost ranks, keeping close by each others sides. Thus an armed front is presented on all quarters, and cannot be attacked without the greatest hazard of destruction. In this manner they wait, with firmness and intrepidity, the approach of the enemy. Nor does their courage fail them in the moment of attack: For, if the aggressor advances within a few yards of the line, the rams dart upon him with such impetuosity, as lays him dead at their feet, unless he saves himself by flight. Against the attacks of single dogs, or foxes, they are, when in this situation, perfectly secure. Besides, a ram, regardless of danger, often engages a bull, and never fails to conquer him; for the bull, by lowering his head, without being sensible of his defenceless condition, receives between his horns the stroke of the ram, which usually brings him to the ground.
In the selection of food, few animals discover greater sagacity than the sheep; nor does any domestic animal show more dexterity and cunning in its attempts to elude the vigilance of the shepherd, and to steal such delicacies as are not agreeable to its palate. The boldness of the female, when not in a state of absolute slavery, in protecting her young from injury, is likewise extremely remarkable. When perfectly tamed, and rendered domestic, the sportive gambols, and troublesome tricks of this animal, are too well known to require any description [Smellies’s note. This long note straddles two pages, with the break occurring where indicated above. Back to page 463].
* This is another heavy charge against the character of the [465] sheep. But every person who has attended to those animals, at least in this country, must know that the accusation is not altogether just. Individuals, in a state of subjection, seem to have no idea of resisting the attacks of an enemy. But they soon learn that their protection lies in the shepherd or his dog; for, when it becomes necessary, in Britain, to watch the folds, in order to prevent assaults from foxes or dogs, upon the first alarm, the whole flock run with violence to the place where the watchmen are stationed; so that, when they chance to sleep, they are often hurt by the sheep trampling upon them. On other occasions, they never choose to make a very close approach either to men or dogs; but the sense of immediate danger make them forget their usual timidity, and their sagacity teaches them where their safety lies. When the female is robbed of her lamb, she bleats in a manner that strongly marks the anguish she feels. In the eagerness of her search, her eye-balls seem to start from their sockets; and her irregular and distracted motions, joined to the violence and constancy of her bleatings, are evident indications of the most pungent grief [Smellie’s note. This note straddles two pages, with the break occurring where indicated above. Back to page 465].
* Here, and in many other places, the principles of materialism make the count de Buffon express his sentiments obscurely. It would have been more intelligible, and more consonant to truth, if he had said, "That the instincts of any particular animal are always stronger, in proportion to the smallness of their number." The sheep has few instincts; and, therefore, as there is less danger of being distracted by a variety of motives to action, the animal is led with greater certainty to the purposes intended by Nature [Smellie’s note. Back to page 467].
* This is unquestionably another exaggeration. The sheep, when nearly in a wild state, is a robust, active animal, and capable of enduring much fatigue without injury. But, when immersed in luxury, and pampered in rich pastures, like creatures of a higher nature, the sheep becomes overloaded with fat, and contracts diseases which are not natural to him: Besides, no tamed animal requires or receives less assistance in bringing forth its young [Smellie’s note].
+ It is difficult to conceive that Nature should prepare a fluid for the nourishment of young animals, which, instead of being salutary, would, in the most critical period of their existence, be noxious to them. Such opinions require the support of facts; for, in this country, no lambs thrive so well as those which are left entirely to the care of the dam. In cases of preternatural labour, or when the mother is much debilitated, assistance is unquestionably necessary; but cases of this kind are not common [Smellie’s note. Back to page 468].
* In those parts of Britain where the best sheep are bred, they are never housed, nor, during the lambing season, have any thing administered to them but their ordinary pasture. When in health, sheep have no occasion for water. In our northern climates, it is even injurious to them [Smellie’s note. Back to page 469].
* The sooner lams are castrated, the operation is attended with less danger. But there is always a necessity for delaying it till the testicles fall down into the scrotum, which sometimes happens not till they are several weeks, or even some months old. There are examples where only one of the testicles descends. In cases of this kind, though the testicle that has come down be cut off, and the animal cannot be distinguished from a wedder; yet he still retains the power of procreating. In Scotland, sheep of this kind are called wrigglings [Smellie’s note. Back to page 470].
* A ram has been often known to beget one hundred lambs in a single season [Smellie’s note. Back to page 471].
* There are many breeds of sheep in which both males and females want horns; yet they are as vigorous as any of the species. The largest and finest sheep in England have no horns. In some counties, the inhabitants are perfectly acquainted with horned sheep. In other places, a sheep without horns is as great a rarity as one with four or six horns [Smellie’s note].
+ In this climate, ewes fed in good pastures admit the ram in July or August; but September and October are the months when the greatest part of our ewes, if left to nature, take the ram. Neither is it customary, at this season, to give them dry food; nor would such a practice be possible in large flocks. When the object is to force nature prematurely, some stimula- [472] ting food may, perhaps, have the desired effect. It is more common, however, to retard the season of general copulation, by separating the rams from the ewes, than to forward it. The rule is, to admit the ram at such a time as will bring the ewes to lamb where there will be plenty of food for them; for, if they bring forth before the grass is good, the lambs become poor and feeble [Smellie’s note. This note straddles two pages, with the break occurring where indicated above. Back to page 472].
* The milk of ewes, in its natural state, is nauseous, and seldom used by man in this country. We usually convert it into cheese [Smellie’s note].
+ In an open country, and extensive pasture, a good shepherd, assisted by his dog, will manage, with ease, ten times the number mentioned in the text [Smellie’s note. Back to page 474].
* This is not true; for sheep, like other animals, may occasionally lose and regain the fat they had formerly acquired [Smellie’s note].
+ Année 1668.
3. Tom. 5. Années 1675, and 1676 [back to page 478].
* The fleece of the sheep, like the fur of most other quadrupeds, loosens from the skin in the beginning of summer, and, if permitted, would fall, of its own accord, from the animal’s body. [479] To prevent the waste which would ensue, the farmer sheers his sheep before the fleeces become altogether loose. If the operation be longer delayed, the fleece breaks and falls off in detached pieces. Thus the proper season for sheering sheep is determined by Nature. When the young fleece begins to grow, it pushes the old one before it, which becomes loose at the root, and the sheep, after the operation, remains covered with close short wool. When sheep are shorn before the young fleece has begun to grow, they are left too bare, and are in danger of catching cold. Besides, that part of the old fleece which is left on the animal, is entirely lost. If, on the other hand, the operation be delayed till the young fleece has grown so long as to mix with the old one, a part of the former will be cut off, which, by being too short, is not only perfectly useless, in manufactures, but injures the long wool among which it is blended. For these reasons, a skillful farmer sheers not all his sheep indiscriminately at the same time, but occasionally as the fleeces become ripe.
It was formerly the practice, instead of sheering, to pluck the wool from the sheep. But, though it might be done at different times, as parts of the fleece loosened, without giving the animal any pain; yet the practice is slovenly, incompatible with the management of large flocks, and often attended with a considerable loss of wool [Smellie’s note. This long note straddles two pages, with the break occurring where indicated above. Back to page 479].
* Pontopiddan’s Nat. Hist. of Norway [back to page 484].
* Hist. gen. des voyages, tom. 18. p. 19 [back to page 485].