INCREASE IN THE QUANTITY OF CLOTHING.—If we at tend to the condition of the clothing of our domestic ani mals previous to winter, we shall witness the changes which take place. The fur is not merely renewed, but it is increased in quantity and length. This is very plainly exhibited in those quadrupeds which are kept out o' doors, and exposed to the vicissitudes of the weather. But even with those animals kept in houses during the winter, the length and thickness of the fur vary according to the warmth of their habitations ; and as the temperature of these habitations depends in part on the elevation, so we find the cattle living on farms near the level of the sea, cover ed with a shorter and thinner fur than those which inhabit districts of a higher level. Hence if we look at the horses, for example, of the farmers in a market day in winter, we might determine the relative temperature of their respec tive farms, from the relative quantity of clothing provided by nature for the animals which live on them.
This winter covering, if continued during the summer, would prove inconveniently warm. It is, therefore, thrown off by degrees as the summer advances ; so that the ani mals which were shaggy during the cold months become sleek in the hot season.
This process of casting the hair takes place at different seasons, according to the constitution of the animal with respect to heat. The mole has, in general, finished this operation before the end of May. The fleece of the sheep, when suffered to fall, is seldom cast before the end of June. In the northern islands of Scotland, where the shears are never used, the inhabitants watch the time when the fleece is ready to fall, and pull it off with their fingers. The long hairs, which likewise form :a part of the covering, remain for several weeks, as they are not ripe for casting at the same time with the fine wool. This operation of pulling off the wool, provincially called roping, is represented by some writers, more humane than well-informed, as a pain ful process to the animal. That it is not even disagreeable,
is evident from the quiet manner in which the sheep lie during the pulling, and from the ease with which the fleece separates from the skin.
We are in general inattentive with respect to the annual changes in the clothing of our domestic animals; but when in search of those beasts which yield us our most valuable furs, we are compelled to watch these operations of the seasons. During the summer months the fur is thin and short, and is scarcely ever an object of pursuit; while dur ing the winter, it possesses in perfection all its valuable qualities. When the beginning of winter is remarkable for its mildness, the fur is longer in ripening, as the animal stands in no need of the additional quantity for a covering ; but as soon as the rigours of the season commence, the fleece speedily increases in the quantity and length of hair. This increase is sometimes very rapid in the hare and the rabbit, whose skins are seldom ripe in the fur until there is a fall of snow, or a few days of frosty weather ; the growth of the hair in such instances being dependent on the tem perature of the atmosphere.
The moulting of birds is another preparation for winter, which is analogous to the casting of the hair in quadru peds. During summer, the feathers of birds are exposed to many accidents. Sonic of them are torn off during their amorous quarrels ; others are broken or damaged ; while in many species they are pulled from their bodies to line their nests. Previous to winter, however, and immediately after the process of incubation and rearing of the young is finished, the old feathers are pushed off by the new ones. and in this manner the whole plumage of the bird is re newed. During this process of moulting., the bird seems much enfeebled, and, if previously in a weak state, is in danger of dying during the process. In consequence of this complete renewal of the feathers, the winter covering is rendered perfect, and the birds prepared for withstand ing all the rigours of the season.