366 Mountain Breeds of Sheep. 



lambs, of which they have sometimes three crops by a Leicester, 

 will make their 16 lbs. or 17 lbs. a quarter as well-fed shearlings. 

 " What will they say at Cockermouth ?" is a question which has 

 long since lost its political meaning, but still it is never out of 

 the dalesman's head, as that little town is their auction mart, 

 both for fat and store sheep, each autumn. 



The face and legs of the breed are spreckled or rather grey 

 inottled, and become greyer and whiter with age. If the face is 

 grey, it should shade off to white towards the nose to suit the keen 

 Fell Dales critic. Tups have generally two or three curls to their 

 horns, and the absence of horn in a female is not a desirable sign. 

 The horns should be dark and " slape," not too small or too 

 close, and rising well out of the back of the head. A light grey 

 or " hoar-frost nose" betokens constitution, and the nostrils should 

 be wide and strong, and affixed to a long and bold head. The 

 ears should be white and sharp, and stand well up, as any ten- 

 dency to droop betokens a want of spirit to grapple with hill 

 life. A good eye, a broad forehead with a tuft on it, and a rustiness 

 about the poll, are all solid requirements, as well as wool up to 

 the ears, and good " heckling," which in some tups looks like a 

 lion's mane. It is also one of the flock-master's chief aims to get 

 them as Avide as possible between the fore-legs, and with a broad 

 breast placed well forward, as the forequarter is chiefly relied 

 upon both for constitution and the scales. The knees should also 

 be strong and "the bone thin to the fetlock, and then a big white 

 foot to follow." Despite the difficult ground which they have to 

 traverse, the best breeders try to get them well filled in behind 

 the shoulders, and round in the rib, and the less false rib they 

 have the greater their power of bearing hunger. There is a tribe 

 amongst them Avhich has fourteen ribs, and these are preferred 

 whenever they can be got. They should also be straight on the 

 hind-leg and well muttoned down to " the camerals" or hocks, 

 while the tail should be thick at the root, and never want cutting. 

 These are the show points, but the majority of flocks fall very far 

 short of them. 



If the wethers are left till they are four or five years old with 

 only mountain fare, they will average about 12 lbs. a quarter and 

 the ewes from 8 lbs to 10 lbs. " The better end" of the former 

 are generally sold out at from 255. to 305., whereas a iew years 

 since, 11. was quite a " rest-and-be-thankful" price. The fleeces 

 have also moved with the times, and are no longer such a curious 

 compound of coarse grey hair and kemp. They vary very much, 

 according to the severity of the winter, from 1^ lbs. upwards; 

 and Mr. Nelson's Royal Newcastle prize wool averaged 5|- lbs, 

 unwashed from five year old wethers. The fleece, which is coarse 

 and open, is divided into two or three qualities, as the hecklings 



