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ON THE FLEECES OF CERTAIN PRIMITIVE SPECIES OF SHEEP 1
Author(s) -
CREW F. A. E.
Publication year - 1921
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1921.tb05543.x
Subject(s) - wool , coat , domestication , biology , zoology , botany , ecology , archaeology , geography
SUMMARY1 The fleeces of certain wild and primitive species of sheep were examined. 2 That of Marco Polo's sheep was found to be the one most suitable for examination, since samples of both summer and winter coats were available. In the former coat there was hair only and still growing. In the latter coat it was mostly full‐grown and much less pigmented. The white appearance was due to the presence of a film of air between the pigment granules of the cortex and the eye of the observer. 3 Wool is present in the winter coat but absent from the summer one. 4 The microscopical structure of hair and of wool are briefly described and attention is called to the disposition of the wool in the fleece of O. orientalis , since this most closely resembles that of the wool of the modern domesticated breeds.