by L Norwich

This contribution was prompted by the article by Wilma George in our December issue 'Fauna of the Printed Map.' Mr Norwich, who is a map collector in South Africa and one of our readers, has always been fascinated by these 'fat tailed sheep' which appear on several eighteenth century maps and are known to be indigenous to Southern Africa from very early times.

MAP LOVERS AND collectors are indebted to Wilma George for her major contribution and original addition to the history of cartography in her book Animals and Maps, as a scientific evolution of map fauna. This book is a most erudite and useful source of reference in researching antique maps of the world as is her more recent article in The Map Collector, (December 1978) 'Fauna'ofthe Printed Map.'


In her book and this more recent article, she confirms her contention that the animal illustrations on maps have not merely been placed there to fill the gaps and spaces, as expressed by early writers and other descriptions, but serve to depict a wealth of zoological truth. Those of us who live on the continent of Africa and are interested in antique map collecting of this fascinating land are particularly delighted with her chapter on African fauna. There is an interesting and wide variety of these - not only those that live on land but also those denizens of the oceans that surround the continent.

There is one particular animal illustrated on a number of maps of Africa in my own map collection which has always fascinated me - the fat tailed sheep. As Wilma George makes no specific mention of this unique anatomical and physiological feature of such fat tails on the sheep, these recorded des­criptions could add to her researches. The tail appears on the following attractive cartouches of eighteenth century maps :

1. 'Africae in Tabulae' by A.F. Zumeri, published by Petri Schenkii circa 1709. This is a particularly attractive cartouche illustrating a sitting sheep with its large bushy tail supported on a low two-wheeled trolley. (See Ills. 1 a and 1 b).
   
   
2. 'Nieuwe Pascaart Van Oost lndien' by Joannes Van Keulen, 1680. A colourful animated cartouche with a backview of a large bushy fat tailed sheep in the foreground. Coincidently, this cartouche also shows a rather gruesome decapitation of what appears to be a white individual by a Moor. (See Ills. 2a and 2b).
   
   
3. 'Totius Africae Nova Representio' by Jo Baptista Homanno, 1713. This cartouche shows a sideview of the fat tailed sheep supported on a low wheeled trolley. (See Ills. 3a and 3b).
   
   
4. 'Acturatissima Totius Africae' by Jacobum de Sandrart, 1700. In this particularly attractive cartouche the fat tail is shown from behind on the left foreground being dragged along the ground. (See Ills. 4a and 4b).