THE SHEEP. but a few years would elapse in the pursuance of this policy, before we should be as proud to compare the American stock of cattle with the cattle of foreign countries as we now are to compare the American with foreign nations. Upon lands which are uneven and rough, the farming operations are carried on to better advantage by oxen than by horses, and on this account large numbers of oxen are kept for labor in Vermont, particularly in the central and eastern parts; but cattle are here raised chiefly for the dairy and for market. No part of our country affords better grazing, and for the production of good beef cattle and good butter and cheese, Vermont may challenge comparison with almost any part of the world. According to the grand list of the state in 1841, there were 31,130 oxen, and 154,669 cows. The number of cattle of every description according to the returns of 1840, was as follows: 39,718 Orange, 16,555 Toal number, 40,029 THE SHEEP. a large,hardy, coarse woolled variety, and before the commencement of the present century very little pains had been taken to improve their quality or increase their numbers. The first fine woolled sheep introduced were the Merinos, from Spain, in 1802. In that year Chancellor Livingston imported a buck and two ewes into New York, and Col. D. Humphreys imported 200 sheep of this breed, and placed them on his farm near New Haven, Ct. But these sheep attracted very little attention till the embargo of 1808 and the non-intercourse which followed it had cut off the accustomed supply of woollen goods from England. In 1809 and 1810 nearly 400 Merinos were shipped to this country by the Hon. Wm. Jarvis, then American consul at Lisbon, and these, together with about 2,500 imported by others, were distributed over the greater part of the United States. A considera ble number of the Merinos introduced in36,855 to this country by Consul Jarvis were 18,293 brought by him to Vermont, and placed 25,415 upon his unrivalled farm in Weathers42,661 field; and from the importations above 51,863 mentioned nearly all the Merino sheep in the United States have been derived. 384,341 GENUS OVIS.-Linnæus. Generic Characters.-Teeth 32-Incisors, canines, grinders -. Horns common to both sexes, often wanting, particularly in the female; thick, angular, wrinkled transversely, pale colored, turning laterally and spirally; ears. small; legs slender; hair of two kinds; tail more or less short; two inguinal mammæ. THE SHEEP. Oris aries.-LINN. In the 4th chapter of the book of Genesis we read that Abel was a keeper of sheep; from which it appears that this animal has existed in a state of domestication from the very beginning of our race. And we learn from history that man has, in almost all ages of the world, depended upon the sheep for a very considerable share of his food and clothing. In the Scriptures the sheep is frequently mentioned, and the lamb, which is the young of this animal, on account of its gentleness and meekness, was employed under the Mosaic dispensation to prefigure the meek and lowly Jesus "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." The sheep first introduced into this country by the European settlers, were of * John 1: 29. History informs us that Merino sheep existed in Spain as early as the days of Augustus Cæsar, and as the name signifies beyond sea, they were probably imported thither from some other country. In 1765, 100 Merino bucks and 200 ewes were transported from Spain into Saxony, and subsequently many more. In these Saxony Merinos the wool became much improved, and from this improved race importations have taken place into the United States, under the name of Saxony sheep. The first, consisting of only two or three bucks, were imported in 1823, by Col. James Shepherd, of Northampton, Mass. The two following years a consid erable number of Saxony sheep were imported by the Messrs. Searles, of Boston, and the year 1826 witnessed the introduction of no less than 2,500. From these and subsequent importations the Saxony sheep are now scattered into various parts of the country, and in many places crossed with the Merino and the coarse wooled sheep. In Vermont they have been introduced into many towns, but are not very generally diffused over the state. There are, probably, few countries in the world better adapted to the rearing of sheep than New England, and the soil and climate of the hills of Vermont seem to be peculiarly suited to that purpose. Experience has likewise shown that while the Merino and Saxony sheep thrive here in a remarkable manner, their wool suf DISEASES OF SHEEP. fers no deterioration in quality, but with suitable attention is rather improved. Sheep require an airy location, both in summer and winter. In summer they thrive much better in elevated, dry pastures than on low, moist lands. In winter they should be yarded from the last of November till the latter part of April, but should never be crammed, in large numbers, into small or tight enclosures. They should be salted weekly both in summer and winter, and at all seasons have free access to pure water. The best season for lambing is thought to be from the 1st to the 10th of May. The daily allowance of food per head for sheep in winter should be 3 lbs. of hay, or 2 lbs. of hay and half a pint of oat meal, or other food equivalent. STRUCTURE OF BIRDS. be put on with a paint-brush, being careful to apply it thoroughly to those parts of the feet which are most inflamed. For the scab the best remedy is to immerse the sheep, excepting the head, in a strong decoction of tobacco, scrubbing thoroughly the parts affected. The best time for doing this is immediately after shearing; but it may be done any time during the season. For lambs the decoction should be weaker. For the bloat in sheep a great spoonful of castor oil mixed with a teaspoonful of pulverized rhubarb may be given in about a gill of hot water. It may be poured down the sheep's throat with a great spoon. From 1830 to 1837 wool met with a ready sale, and commanded a high price, in consequence of which the farmers of Vermont, during that period, devoted their chief attention to the production of wool, and the flocks of sheep, in most parts of the state, were increased many fold. The whole number of sheep in the several counties, in 1840, was as follows: Addison, 261.010 Orange, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Sheep are subject to several diseases, the most common and fatal of which are the foot-rot and scab. The most approved remedy for the former consists of 3 parts of blue vitriol and I of verdigris pulverized as fine as Indian meal and mixed with a sufficient quantity of sharp vinegar to make it as thick as milk. The vinegar should be nearly as hot as boiling water when poured upon the other ingredients, and the mixture should be stirred briskly while hot. This mixture may Lamoille, Grand Isle, 156,053 104,721 Orleans, 46,669 100,886 Rutland, 271,727 110,774 Washington, 110,872 14,188 Windham, 114,336 87,385 Windsor, 234,826 27,451 40,920 Total number, 1,681 818 CHAPTER III. BIRDS OF VERMONT. Preliminary Observations. Birds are organized for flight; have a double respiratory and circulating system, and produce their young by eggs. They are distinguished from all other vertebrated animals by being clothed with feathers. Their whole structure is adapted for flying. Their bones are hard and hollow, which give them at the same time lightness and strength. Their lungs are attached to their ribs, and are composed of membranes penetrated by orifices, which permit a free passage of the air into almost all parts of the body. Birds have long necks, and bills composed of horny substance, but they are always destitute of teeth. Their organ of smell is situated at the base of the bill, and is generally hid by the feathers. Their tongue is principally cartilaginous, and their taste probably imperfect. Their eyes are so constructed that their sight is very acute, whether the object be near or distant. In addition to the eye-lids, they have a membranous curtain to cover and protect the eye. Birds which fly by day have no external ear, but owls, or such as fly by night, have one, but it is not so much developed as in quadrupeds. The brain of birds is remarkably large. Their wind-pipe consists of entire rings, and, at the lower end, where it branches off to the lungs, it is furnished with a glottis This is called the lower larynx, and with this the voice of birds is produced, which has great compass, owing to the large volume of air contained in the air vessels. Most birds undergo two moults annual ORDERS OF BIRDS. ly. In some species the winter plumage differs considerably from that of the summer; and the male and female also vary in color in many species. The digestion of birds is rapid in proportion to the activity of their life and the force of their respiration. Their stomach is composed of three parts; namely, a crop, a membranous stomach, and a gizzard. The gizzard is armed with two strong muscles, and, by the assistance of small stones, which the fowl swallows, grinds up the food, and thus performs the office of mas tication. The velocity with which birds travel through the air exceeds that of any terrestrial animal. Eagles, and many other birds, fly at the rate of 60 miles an hour. Most birds are migratory, very few comparatively spending the whole year in the same neighborhood. The crow, the partridge, and a few species of woodpeckers, owls, hawks, and water fowl, are all which are known to reside permanently in Vermont. Several species are seen here in winter which are never seen in summer, and many are seen to pass northerly in the spring and return to the south in the fall, which make scarcely any stop with us. The characters by which birds are distinguished into orders and genera are derived principally from the formation of the bill and feet. We have adopted the classification of Temminck, which is followed by Mr. Nuttall, in his valuable Manual of Ornithology. The following are the Orders. I. Rapaces-birds of prey. ORDER OMNIVORES-Food of all kinds. II. Omnivores-living on all kinds of Sturnus ludovicianus Meadow Lark. food. III. Insectivores-feeding on insects. IV. Granicores-feeding on grain V. Zygodactyli-with the toes disposed in opposite pairs. VI. Tenuirostres-birds with slender bills. VII. Alcyones-with three toes before, united, and one behind; the tarsi being very short. VIII. Chelidones-with three toes before, divided, or only united at the base by a short membrane; the back toe often reversible. Icterus baltimore, Baltimore Oriole. Red Winged Black Bird Quiscalus versicolor, Crow Black Bird. 66 hudsonicus, Hudson Bay Titmouse. Bombycilla carolinensis, Cedar Bird. ORDER INSECTIVORES-Liring on Insects. IX. Columba-with toes before entire- Lanius borealis, Butcher Bird. ly divided, and one behind. X. Gallina--with three toes before, united by a membrane; the back toe joined to the tarsus above the joint of the other toes. XI. Grallatores--with long slender legs, naked above the knee; three toes before and one behind, all nearly on the same level. 66 fusca, Phobee. Wood Pewee. Small Pewee. THE BALD EAGLE. and open; tarsus clothed with feathers or scaly; the toes, three before and one behind-the exterior toe commonly united to the adjacent one by a membrane; nails sharp, strongly hooked, movable and retractile; tail feathers, twelve. THE GOLDEN EAGLE. the eagle and borne away to his nest. When this eagle cannot procure a sufficient supply of fish, which is its favorite food, it preys upon other birds, and small quadrupeds and reptiles. The nest of the This Genus embraces the Eagles, Falcons, Bald Eagle is built in the top of some Hawks, Kites and Buzzards, and is divided by lofty tree. It is constructed of sticks modern Ornithologists into no less than ten gen-lined with coarse grass. The eggs, acera; but we deem it unnecessary to give the dis-cording to Audubon, are from two to four, tinctive characters of these genera in this work. and are of a dull white color. They are usually hatched in May, and require the aid of the parents in procuring food tili September. THE GOLDEN EAGLE. Falco chrysaetos.-LINN. DESCRIPTION.-Bill bluish gray at the base, black at the tip; cere yellow; eyebrows light blue; iris chestnut; fore part of the head, cheeks, throat and under parts, deep brown; hind head, posterior and lateral parts of the neck light brownish yellow, the shafts and concealed parts of the feathers deep brown. The back deep brown, glossy, with purplish reflections; wing coverts lighter; primary quills brownish black; the secondaries, with their coverts brown, those next the body more or less mottled with brownish THE BALD EAGLE. white, excepting at the ends; edges of Falco leucocephalus.-LINNEUS. the wings at the flexure pale yellowish DESCRIPTION.-Color of the body and brown. Tail dark brown, lighter towards wings deep lively brown or chocolate; the base, with a few irregular whitish head, upper part of the neck, tail and tail markings; tail long, slightly rounded. coverts clear white; bill, cere and feet Wings long; 4th quill longest, and the yellow, with the soles of the feet rough 6 first abruptly cut out on the inner webs. and warty; iris light yellow. Length of Length 38 inches, spread of the wings the female 3 feet, spread of the wings 77 feet; bill along the back 23 inches; feet; male 2 or 3 inches shorter. The white of the head and tail is not clear till the third year, being previously blended with grayish brown. HISTORY.-The Bald Eagle is found in the northern parts of both continents, but is much more common on the western than on the eastern continent. It is found in all parts of the United States, and is frequently seen in Vermont, but is not known to breed within the state. edge of lower mandible 24; tarsus 4; middle toe and claw 4; hind claw 2. Extremities of the folded wings 1 inch short of that of the tail.-Audubon. HISTORY.-The Golden Eagle, though rare, is occasionally seen in Vermont and has sometimes been known to build its nest and rear its young within the state. The nest is placed upon the inaccessible shelf of some rugged precipice, and consists of a few sticks and weeds barely sufThis Eagle is the adopted emblem of our the rocks. The eggs are two or three in ficient to keep the eggs from rolling down country, but we should hesitate to acknowledge him to be the true representa- number, 3 inches long, of a dull white tive of our national character. He has color with undefined patches of brown. the reputation of being a free-booter, liv- These eagles feed upon young fawns, ing by robbing the fish hawk of his hon-hares, raccoons, wild turkies, partridges est gains. For this purpose he takes his and other quadrupeds and birds, but will stand upon some lofty tree growing near feed on putrid flesh, only when severely the shore, and when he sees the fish pressed by hunger. hawk rise from the water with his prey, he commences the pursuit, and the fish hawk, in order to effect his own escape, s compelled to abandon the fruit of his abor, which is inmediately secured by The following description is drawn from a specimen preserved in the museum of the College of Natural History of the University of Vermont. |