THE BOKDEE LEICESTEK BREED OF SHEEP. 275 



Leicesters that chanced to be on the ground ; if, on the contrary, 

 north country men had then' way, the Border Leicesters were 

 brought to the front. In the year in question, however, matters 

 were put to rights, to the satisfaction of every one, but more 

 especially of the Border men, whose entries that season num- 

 bered 104, as compared w^ith 13 of the others. 



A perfect Border Leicester should have the following charac- 

 teristics : — The head should be of fair size ; the nose — as Mr 

 Usher, Stodrig, points out in a very complete description of the 

 animal in an article recently published — should be slightly 

 aquiline ; the muzzle full ; the nostrils wide ; the ears erect ; and 

 the eye bright. The face, as well as the legs, should be covered 

 with clean white hair, any blueness about the head being objec- 

 tionable, as denoting weakness of constitution. The neck should 

 be full, with the vein strong and well developed. The chest 

 should be deep and broad, the breast should come well forward, 

 and the shoulders broad. The ribs should be widely arched, 

 the spring being, as Mr Usher says, " more remarkable for its 

 width than its depth, showing a tendency to carry the mutton 

 high, with belly straight, significant of small offal." The 

 back should be broad and well covered with mutton, cfivins 

 a firm muscular touch ; and the back bone should be well 

 laid in flesh, so as not to present any hardness to the handling. 

 The loins should be broad, the quarters lengthy and well fleshed 

 down to the hocks ; and the body thus made up, and nicely set 

 u])on flat clean legs, should be covered with fine curly wool. In 

 bis carriage the animal should move with his head well up, and 

 should be full of life and action. 



The most important events of the year to Border Leicester 

 breeders are the Kelso and Edinburgh sales. At the former, 

 which is often the occasion of upwards of 2000 rams being 

 disposed of, the leading place, as has been indicated, has been 

 taken by the ^lertoun and Llellendean slieep. The former, 

 whose special character is gaiety, but whose value as sires is 

 proved by the mark they make wherever they are used, were first 

 exposed at Kelsu in 1852, when the average price obtained for the 

 lot was £4, 8s. 7d. iur the last twenty years, exce])ting 1869, 

 when he was surpassed by Miss Stark, Lord I'olwarth has uni- 

 formly topped the averages. During this period the most 

 successful year was 1873, when the average price rose to 

 £44, 15s. 2(1., one of the lot going to Mr Clark, (Jldliamstocks, 

 for £195, the highest figure that has ever been paid for a sheep 

 in Scotland. For the last few yeais the averages have usually 

 ranged b(;t\veen £30 and £40. The .Mcllendcan stock, whose 

 strong points are their substance and wool, and whose value as 

 sheep to breed from lias also been widely recognised, were sold 

 at Kelso in 1843. For that year the average is not given, but 



