Such is still iha wild and chequered life of the horses on the steppe, and such it was in the days of Mazeppa ; but scenes hke those I have been describing have become scarcer in Southern Russia, in proportion as the population has become denser, and some of the larger estates have been parcelled out among a greater number of owners. Should the Russian government succeed in the favourite plan of introducing a regular system of agriculture into tliis portion of the empire, the large taboons must gradually disappeai-, or recede farther and farther towards the confines of Tartary. Such a time, however, is yet distant. The steppe yields com, indeed, in abundance, when cultivated ; but the difficulty of transport, and the absence of all material for the construction of good roads, oppose serious obstacles to the growth of com, except in favoured locahties ; as, for instance, in the immediate vicinity of rivers or of the sea.
The life of the tshaba-wn, or shepherd, presents a singular contrast to that of the rakish tabiintshik ; but the shepherd's quiet, unobtrusive course has comparatively httle to attract the attention of the stranger. The lords of the steppe^ indeed, are far from undervaluing their peaceful flocks, and Avhen the •wealth of one of the princely owners is spoken of, his sheep generally serve as the standard by wliich the amount of his worldly possessions is measured. There are indiWduals in the steppe, who are said to own upwards of 100,000 wooUy subjects, and most of these flocks have increased to their present amount within the last thirty vears. The Walachian sheep is the most prevalent race. It is remarkable on account of the huge size of its tail, which consists of httle else than a lump of fat, in great esteem among the Russians and Tartars. Merinos have, of late vears. been Ukewise introduced, and arerapidlv increasing in numbers.
The tshabawn is, for the most part, a quiet, peaceable being. His character is naturallv modified bv the habits of his usual associates, and, as he is not oblig-ed to rang-e over so wide an extent of the country as the tabuntshik, he is able to carry about with him a multitude of comforts, in which the guardian of the horses must never hope to indulge. The tshabawn has usuaUv one or two larsre wag'gt)ns drawn bv oxen, in which he carries with him his provisions and his cooking utensils, together with the skins of the sheep that die, and those of the wolves that he has been fortunate enough to slay : for the tshabawn, with all his quietness, is as zealous a wolf-hunter as the tabuntshik, and quite as wilhug to increase his lawful gainings by the sale of a score of shaggj' hides in the course of the season.
Of the fat-tailed sheep there are two distinct races ; the Walachian and the Kalmuck. The former really carries its fat about in its tad, which grows into a shape something similar to a pear, swelling at both sides to an enormous size, and tapering to a point at the extremity. The Kalmuck sheep, which is rarely found in the western steppes, does not really carry its fat in the tad, but rather in two huge cushions, from thirty to forty pounds in weight, that stronglv remind the stranger, who sees them for the first time, of the Hottentot Venus. With both, the fat in or about the tail is considered more valuable than that obtained from any other part of the animaL