A Down Pelage in the Ovidæ

Abstract

THE woolly covering of the adult sheep, the fleece, is often considered to differentiate the Ovidæ from other mammals, and not less distinctive is the coat of the lamb. In most breeds of sheep the lamb is closely covered with a birth coat of small spiral tufts of fibres (Fig. 1). The tufts vary in size, the number and closeness of the spiral turns and their distance apart, all of which are characters having a bearing upon the fleece grown later. In addition, long hairy fibres protrude beyond the level of the tufts and, where plentiful, partly obscure or even replace them, as over the face, the under surface and down the legs. With the later growth of the fleece the spiral tufts are carried upwards, for the most part preserving their form and distinctness (Fig. 1), maybe until the first shearing at about fifteen months. In some cases, however, small successive fragments break away at the tip, particularly in the merino, where the identity of the tuft is lost within three or four months. The coarse hairy fibres are shed within the first months of the lamb's existence, and are generally replaced by fibres of a different type.