[Jacob-list] Jacob origins/unclear

[Jacobflock at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/8/2003 10:04:53 AM Central Standard Time, 
gordon at westergladstone.fsnet.co.uk writes:

> Neal wrote <<I picked up a book in England entitled British Sheep Breeds 
> published by the British Wool Marketing Board. This book states that the 
> Jacob was imported from "the former Cape Colony". (I assumed that this is 
> the Gibraltar area.)>>
>   
> No, this is South Africa.
>   
> << If I had to stake money on it, I would bet on Jacob sheep as horned, 
> piebald isolates of the Viking type sheep, >>
>  
> Certainly there are some very Jacoby-looking markings  amongst Icelandics 
> and Shetlands (esp the Foula type), and some breeds such as Hebrideans and 
> North Ronaldsays sometimes have four horns,  but you are ignoring the fact 
> that Jacobs are long tailed sheep, which reached Britain by the southern 
> route, whereas what I think you mean by 'Viking type sheep' are all short 
> tailed - Northern Shorttailed Sheep in fact.  This is a physical difference 
> in the number of vertebrae in the tail and is a good marker of the breeds 
> early origins.  
>  Juliet in Scotland
> 

The reference for South Africa origin is probably Lydecker: "A Guide to the 
Domestic Animals in thge Central and North Halls of the British Museum", 
(1908) in a section titled "Fourhorned Piebald Sheep" and based his 
conclusion on the Draycott flock (virtually all black but horned with a white 
blaze), the Ingleborouh flock (similar) which been brought back from Zululand 
at the end of the Zulu war.  Hence Jacobs being called Zulu sheep (country of 
origin).   In addition to Zulu, Lydecker refers to breed names as Pied 
African Fourhorned Sheep.  

In a series of progeny tests (early 1900's?), the Spanish sheep with four 
horns (the Jacob) was bredd to Zulu ewes and the F1s were  all black bodied, 
a few had a "maternal" white piebald spot on the forehead.  When these F1 ewe 
crosses were covered by the Jacob, one third were white, one third with 
piebald body and one third with 90% black body.  Another progeny test was the 
Spanish sheep with four horns over a Palestine ewe (are these descendents of 
"Jacob's Flock of Genesis?) ... one all white, four all black body with one 
of the four having a small face blaze.  Other progeny tests included the St 
Kilda (black progeny), Southdown (black) Oxford Down (black), Welsh Mountain 
(black), Kerry Hill (black) ... the Dorset Horn (piebald body markings and 
black face progeny).  There may be a pattern here.

I think it is Ryder that makes the argument that the Jacob's "mid-length" 
tail is evidence of a "mixed origin" and seems to be part of its signature.  
It might be Ryder that describes the medium tail as a "recent" development 
... in the context of the last 400-500 years.  I wish he was thirty years old 
and had all the tools we have today.

Fred Horak

 

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