Plated Teeth of Sheep

Abstract

TWICE in recent years I have had brought to me by different people, as great curiosities, teeth of sheep or lambs, some of which were partly covered with a bright yellow metallic-looking film, which was thought to be gold. One of the persons referred to, as a foreign meat purveyor, had had a large experience with car-cases of sheep, but had not observed the peculiarity before; and none of the farmers whom I questioned about the matter had ever seen or heard of it. But whether it is actually so rare a phenomenon as the above remarks suggest is doubtful, for the Rev. John Morton, in “The Natural History of Northamptonshire”, published in 1712, p. 50, says:—