A general history of quadrupeds. The figures engraved on wood / by T. Bewick. The text by R. Beilby.

  • Thomas Bewick
Date:
1792
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A general history of quadrupeds. The figures engraved on wood / by T. Bewick. The text by R. Beilby. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    67/494 (page 57)
    die, one foot feven inches and a quarter; acrofs the breaft, from the infide of one fore leg to the infide of the other, nine inches. At the dividing of the quarters, through the ribs it meafured feven inches and one-eighth of folid fat, cut ftraight through without any Hope; and his mutton was of the molt beautiful bright colour. But in nothing was he fo remarkable, as in the fmallnefs of his bones.—The proprietor of this Sheep laments, that he had not the offals exactly weighed (by offals, we would be underftood to mean not only the tallow, but the head, pluck, and pelt, with the blood and entrails); be- caufe it is now well known, that this breed of Sheep has a greater quantity of mutton, in proportion to the offal, than any other kind we know of, and is confequently cheaper to the confumer. [Ihe drawing, from which the preceding cut was taken, was made by Mr Bailey, of Chiilingham, foon af- ter the Sheep had been fhorn.] Before we quit this article, we muft take notice of a breed of Sheep, which have hitherto been but little known or attended to; although it is probable, they poffefs ad- vantages of equal importance with thofe we have juft mentioned ; and, in all likelihood, they might have conti- nued ftill longer in the fame neglefted Bate, but for the endeavours of a fet of men, who, actuated by a truly pa- triotic zeal, are labouring to draw out the natural refources of their country, and fecure, to the moft diflant and long- neglefted parts of this kingdom, thofe permanent advan- tages, to which they are by their fituation entitled. In purfuing thefe important objects, the Highland Society of Scotland have difcovered, that the Shetland iflands, and