Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 September 1881 — Turned White from Terror. [ARTICLE]

Turned White from Terror.

Colorado Springs OaseUe. f Lone Star ranch is becoming famous as productive of some very remarkable sheep. It was on the Lone Star ranch that the wonderful three-ply sheep was born. We refer, of course, to the sheep with three eyes, three ears and three tails, which was fully described in the Gazette some Weeks ago. We have received advices from our speciel correspondent, Mr. W. W. Cook, whom we have engaged as a specialist to keep a scientific eye on the peculiar happenings at the ranch. In the course of uis letter on the recent phenomenon, Mr. Cook says: “As most of your readers probably know black wool brings from five k> ten cents a pound less than the corresponding grade of white wool. In order to secure the separation of the inferior product, as oU t shearing operations progressed, we placed the black sheep in, a pen by themselves. There Were thus on last Tuesday night sixty-thtee black sheep and some lambs alone in one of the corrals. During the night a Coyote entered and killed a ewe and two lambs, and we were greatly surprised to find in the morning that the wool on the remaing sixty-tWo sheep had turned perfectly white from terror. Happily the increase in the value of wool more than balanced the loss of the sheep that Were killed. The bleaching effects of fear on the human hair is well known, but I HeVer beard any previous instance of its action on animals. 1 merely state the facts as they occurred and leave to others the practicle application of them, which will, I doubt not, add thousands of dollars to the value of the annual wool product of this country.” The facts given so succinctly by our correspondent are deserving of special notice, and will, no doubt, attract much attention upon the part of scientists.