White. — Notes on Coloured Sheep. 405 



English origin, for they are prevented from looking to North 

 Africa owing to the heat of the climate causing sheep in that 

 country to have a covering of hair ; otherwise it would be 

 supposed the Moors introduced them from Barbary. 



On the other hand, these sj)otted sheep; the Herdwicks, on 

 the Cumberland fells, with curled horns; the Cheviots, on the 

 Border Hills, a polled race; and the sheep of the Shetlands, of 

 very diminutive size, are all supposed to come from Spain, 

 the popular tradition being that they are survivors from the 

 wreck of the Spanish Armada, in the time of Queen Elizabeth. 

 That crews from one or more of these vessels escaped to the 

 Shetlands there seems to be good evidence ; also, that these 

 shipwrecked people taught the natives, with whom they inter- 

 married, a particular secret in the art of weaving and dyeing 

 woollen goods, which I believe is a speciality to this day. 



Quoting from the " Technical Educator : " " Beautiful black 

 lamb-skins are imported from the Crimea, and still more rich 

 and glossy, with a short fur, from Astracan." 



Most people are under the belief that flocks of sheep are 

 necessarily white, but no doubt, if the matter were properly 

 investigated, a number of pure breeds of coloured sheep would 

 be found inhabiting out-of-the-way places. 



Youatt says, "There is reason to believe that sheep in 

 their early domesticated condition w^ere brown or dingy black : 

 during the classical period the sheep of Spain are described by 

 several ancient anchors as being black, red, or tawny." 



Darwin remarks, " In the Tarentino the inhabitants keep 

 black sheep alone, because the Hypericum crispum abounds 

 there, and this plant does not injure the black slieep, but kills 

 the white ones in about a fortnight's time." 



" A so-called Spanish ram, which had two small black 

 spots on the sides, when mated with seven Southdown ewes, 

 produced thirteen lambs all perfectly black." — Mr. Wilniot, 

 " Quarterly Eeview," 1849. 



" The Eev. W. Darwin Fox believes that this ram belonged 

 to a breed which he has himself kept, and which is always 

 spotted black and white, and he finds that Leicester sheep 

 crossed by rams of this breed always produced black lambs. 

 He has recrossed these crossed sheep with pure white 

 Leicesters during three successive generations, but always 

 with the same result. Mr. Fox was told by the friend from 

 whom the spotted breed was procured, that he likewise had 

 gone on for six or seven generations crossing with white 

 sheep, but still black lambs w^ere invariably produced." — 

 " Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication." 



Eeturning to the spotted sheep : On breeding the Tabley 

 and Canons Ashby sheep together, a change in the character 

 of the horns is mentioned, but the colour of the wool seems 



