PRIMITIVE BREEDS OF SHEEP IN SCOTLAND 31 



present time no such thing as a pure breed of four- 

 horned sheep in these islands, nor has there been since 

 I came here in 1886, any such thing. No doubt there 

 is a strain of four-horned blood running through great 

 numbers of the sheep in these parts, but I know no one 

 who will assert that he has a breed of such animals. My 

 opinion is that all the four-horned ones that now crop up 

 or that have cropped up in recent years are simply throw- 

 backs. It is said that at one time, long ago, all the sheep 

 in these parts were four-horned, and that they were replaced 

 by the Black-faced from the Borders, but it would require 

 some research to prove that. It is yearly becoming more 

 and more difficult to procure a good specimen of a four- 

 horned ram ; but I proved one thing, at least to my own 

 satisfaction, namely, that four-horned rams are certain, or at 

 least almost certain, to throw four-horned lambs. A number 

 of years ago I purchased from different parts of these islands 

 a number of four-horned rams and put them to ewes of 

 various kinds, native, crosses, half Cheviots, etc., and in 

 every single case without exception the tup lambs Were 

 four-horned, and in every case the horns were exact replicas 

 of the horns of the sires ; so much so, that any one 

 could easily point out each ram's get. The one I think 

 you refer to was a get of one of these, and was an exact 

 replica of his sire, with the exception that by good grazing 

 and a little hand-feeding in winter his horns developed 

 enormously. The top ones at one time, I remember, 

 measured on the tape 36 inches, and, as you say, the lower 

 ones would very soon have prevented his feeding. They 

 all but did so when he disappeared, but by grazing at the sides 

 of slopes, banks, and ditches, he was able to pick up a living. 

 At first he had five horns, the fifth growing from the 

 centre of his forehead, but it was only skin deep and was 

 early knocked off." 



Mr M'Elfrish was good enough to send me a photograph 

 (Plate III., Fig. 4) of this remarkable ram. He was seen 

 by Mr Millais alive, but he mysteriously disappeared the 

 next day, probably stolen for the sake of his head. But all 

 efforts to trace the head have failed, and I can only hope 



