Word: ovinely Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From ovine + -ly. By surface analysis, ove- + -ine + -ly. 1. In an ovine manner. Labels: not-comparable, usually Example: Near-synonyms: sheepily, sheepishly, sheepwise Example: For all their many virtues the Romans appear to have been singularly lacking in curiosity. Though the collecting instinct was by no means wanting among them it seems to have been directed almost exclusively to the acquisition of man-made things such as books, pictures, sculptures and religions. In spite of opportunity there seems to be no evidence of the getting together of anything resembling a museum of natural history objects. Even Pliny, most curious of the Romans, contented himself with the filling of note-books. And the time when curiosity might have led to collection, and this in turn have stimulated classification and inquiry into causes, rapidly passed away; for with the establishing of Christianity a new mental atmosphere possessed the world. The problem of causation was definitely determined in favour of the first of our three alternatives, and men's thoughts were turned to that future life which had been so opportunely called into existence to redress the balance of the present. It is true that a few of the Church's authorities—notably Augustine and, later, Thomas Aquinas—flirted at times with the second alternative, but in this they had little influence on the great body of the Church and its supporters. Routine marked out the path of the shepherds and the flock ovinely followed. Then came the crash of the Renaissance. Curiosity, so long pent up, surged forth, and natural objects once more became objects of natural inquiry. Contributory were the voyages of exploration now starting, bringing with them new and strange forms of plant and animal life. Collections of natural history objects were brought together, and as they grew in magnitude some system of classification became imperative. In this field the botanists were in advance of the zoologists. 2. With regard to ovines. Labels: not-comparable, usually Example: On the late December break the top fell to $12.50. That price was regarded as the season's low mark, and quickly reacted upward to $13.25, only to flatten out again to $13.00 on the early January decline, the general trade then emitting signs of again falling below $13.00, of probably dropping to $12.50, and all the while carrying the possibility of descending to $12.00 on a glutted badly distributed run. December was the lowest month of the year 1926; that year, while, with the exception of the fall fed crop, a satisfactory one ovinely speaking, was the lowest since 1921; Colorado lost money on their overweight crop, but native and western springers and the grass rangers were profitable. Having made money on the 1925-26 fed crop the cornbelt bought their heads off both at the market centers and on the range, and having taken on too much weight to the detriment of their pocketbooks and lost thereby, Colorado and Nebraska kept out of the thin lamb market, which was made in a high-handed fashion by the farmer-feeders in the cornbelt. And now having run into the rapids the cornbelt farmer will not be such a keen competitor this fall and the supply of fed lambs will more than likely approach their former sectional distribution. The average price of fat lambs at Chicago for the first month and latter part of 1926 was as follows: Jan. $15.25; Sept. $13.55; Nov. $13.00; Dec. $12.40.