SHEEP (AS. sceap, sre'p, 0EG. seal, Ger. Schaf, sheep; of unknown etymology). A horn less or hollow-horned ruminant belonging to the genus Ovis, and covered with a fleece of wool varying in color, length. fineness, and strength of the fibre. The male is designated a ram (or wether when castrated), the female a ewe, and the young a lamb. The principal products are wool, meat, and sheepskin. The entrails are used for sausage casings. or, when dried and twisted, for musical instrument strings (cat gut ) ; the fat yields tallow and suet; and the milk in some countries is used, either alone or cows' milk, for making cheese (q.v.). Flocks of special milk breeds are kept primarily for their milk. In mountainous parts of India sheep are used as beasts of burden.
The sheep is one of the oldest of the domesticated animals, and is mentioned in many of the most ancient writings. It was especially adapted to the modes of life and the needs of primitive peo ples, whose wealth was measured mainly by their flocks. The offspring were much used for sacri ficial purposes.
Sheep have contributed largely to the wealth and development of every country where man has introduced them as adjuncts of settled agricul ture. Although they flourish best in temperate
climates, they readily adapt themselves to changed climatic and other conditions, and breeds have been developed which thrive from the sea level to the mountain heights and upon a great variety of soils and vegetation.
Sheep are supposed to have been developed from wild forms to which they are related, but opinions differ widely as to which ones; nay, further, controversy has not settled that their progenitors still exist in the wild state. They are most commonly thought to have descended from the mouflon, the musimon, or the argali. No domesticated sheep were found in North America by the early explorers. The wild Rocky :Mountain sheep has neither been successfully domesticated nor crossed with the domestic sheep. Under domestication, due partly to dif ferences in altitude. climate, feed. etc.. and partly to man's intervention, many breeds and varieties of sheep have been produced; and domesticated sheep furnish some of the best illustrations of the great diversity in characters and adaptation to the needs of man which may be brought about by intelligent breeding.