LESSER KNOWN BREEDS OF SHEEP 383 



Cheviot sheep, the rough-wooled Black-Face was the 

 only kind known in the vale of Esk. The breed at the 

 present time has been estimated to comprise about two- 

 thirds of the sheep stock of Scotland, and one-third of 

 the total sheep stock of the north of England. 



They are mainly confined to this territory, for their 

 importation to other countries or localities has not been 

 very successful. Some have come to America, being first 

 imported into New York state in 1861 ; but they have 

 not been popular here. 



Black-Face sheep are much used for cross-breeding, 

 but no infusion of outside blood has been successful in 

 improving them for their native conditions. In addition 

 to their hardiness, they have other characteristics which 

 adapt them peculiarly for the Highlands. They are not 

 only capable of traveling long distances on rough ground 

 in search of food, but they also have a peculiar " homing" 

 instinct, based presumably on 

 their strong attachments to 

 certain parts of their grazing. 



473. Herd wick sheep (Fig. 

 78). By John A. Craig. 

 This is one of the smaller 

 mountain breeds, with the 

 instincts and type of moun- 

 tain sheep strongly developed. ^ 78 _ He rdwick ram. 

 It has a heavy fleece of strong 



wool; head broad, nose arched or Roman, eye promi- 

 nent and lively. Horns in the rams are desirable. 



The tradition of the origin of these sheep is that they 

 came from forty small sheep that escaped from the gal- 

 leons of the Spanish Armada that were wrecked on the 

 coast of Cumberland, making the ancestry Spanish. 



