THE MUTTON BREEDS OF SHEEP 337 



405,000 sheep. There is also a National Shropshire Asso- 

 ciation that has issued one volume of its flock-book. 



OXFORD DOWN SHEEP. Plate XII. 

 By H. P. Miller 



389. The name Oxford as applied to sheep is derived 

 from the county of Oxford, England, where the breed was 

 developed. The Oxford Down is a typical mutton 

 breed of sheep. 



390. History in England. About 1829, John T. 

 Twynham conceived the idea of developing a new breed 

 of sheep combining the good qualities of the long-wools 

 and the Down breeds, by mating the most compact 

 Cotswold rams obtainable with his Hampshire ewes. A 

 few years later, Samuel Druce and Wm. Gillett began 

 a similar system of crossing, although introducing South- 

 down blood to some extent. The Hampshire, however, 

 was the chief source of Down blood used in the new breed. 

 The cross soon became popular, and several other persons 

 undertook the same line of breeding or used the cross-bred 

 rams so that there was no necessity for in-and-inbreeding ; 

 and it does not appear to have been employed to the extent 

 that it was in the case of the Southdown. There is no 

 definite record as to how long the cross-breeding was con- 

 tinued, but, in 1853, Druce wrote that he had no difficulty 

 in keeping the form and size of the animal as it should be, 

 and the wool of a desirable quality and not deficient in 

 quantity. Up to 1857, however, it was known as Down- 

 Cotswold, but in that year the name " Oxfordshire Down " 

 was adopted. A little later it was changed to Oxford 

 Down, and these sheep are now generally referred to as 



