VARIATION. 97 



In the improvement of the mutton-breeds of sheep, 

 breeders have almost uniformly aimed to secure great- 

 er symmetry in their general proportions, in connec- 

 tion with early maturity, and to diminish any ten- 

 dency to coarseness that may have existed in the ori- 

 ginal breed. 



In all of the improved breeds of sheep a general 

 refinement of the system has been developed, as the 

 result of the improvements that have been made in 

 special characters, and this has apparently produced a 

 finer fibre of wool, notwithstanding the lack of atten- 

 tion to this particular quality on the part of breeders. 



In 1835 Mr. Youatt, assisted by Mr. Powell, a 

 manufacturer of microscopes in London, made meas- 

 urements of the wool-fibres of different breeds, which 

 were published in 1840, in his work on " Sheep," 1 as 

 follows : 



No. of Fibres to 

 the Inch. 



Saxon . . . <v . 840 



Merino . ; . . 750 (from Lord Western's flock) 



Odessa wool ... 750 



Negretti . . . . 750 



Common merino . . 750 



Australian wool . . . 750 - 



Now South Wales, wool . 750 I vERSITl 



McArthur's Australian wool, 780 (Saxon 



Leicester S . * ; . 500 



" (from Ireland) . 560 

 Cheviot . . ... 500 

 South-Down . y .' 660 



The finest sample measured was from the Deccan 



1 Youatt on " Sheep," p. 87. 



