IMGR24

DRESSING THE SKINS

bon cilicd Mns*U [Fig. i] no* fbund elscwhcrc in Europę, horned like a Ram and Junned like a Mag, his skin camcd to Corduba and ihcre dressed to make our truć Cordovan Icather.’ The mouflon (to use its English namc), traditionally once indigenous o Spain, ii one of sewral spedes of hair-sheep the pelis of which are superior to those of be common wool-sheep, with just the properties that might be expected to producc achcr a pliablc, durąbie Icather such as ffuiamed was by this datę (1656) when it was

a. Ta «be nimb of Cenią mi Sarinu. there a a boa caU W, noc found ■»    ■ Enrope. heraed Ik a Ram. and drinned like a tog, ha duo curied 10

mi dne drened w nule om mm Cordonn leithtr.* Fm T. Bloum. Clu^pfUi. itji

gaable-amied oe, in catłicr times, a good qualiry uwed Icather. Ifihe Libyan leathn was gosnkin (as n Ukdy) the use, in Spain, of hair-sheep would havc been an innovation. On the wbole, k mm reasonable to suppose that in Spain there were considcrable iptOYcments in the qualky of tawed leather, partly it may be from the use of hair-sheep in and pudy from superior methods of dressing. Whilst the basie process of tawing th alum and salt would be unchangcd, the character of the leather could be considerably cred by the subsequent finishing proccsses. Whilst these may have employed andent

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