HELMSDALE TO MEIKLE FERRY. 61 



racter Fair, where the Cumberland, Dumfriesshire, 

 Yorkshire, and Lothian men buy most freely ; and 

 several lots change hands at the September Falkirk, 

 011 their way south. The closing chapter of wedder 

 history comprises another course of turnips for three 

 or four months, and then many of them are con- 

 signed to the Liverpool and Newcastle fat markets. 

 When the brothers Scott were in the height of their 

 trade, and the markets happened to be cheap, they 

 would buy more than forty thousand wedders and 

 cast ewes on the plane stanes at Inverness, in addi- 

 tion to those of their own breeding, and pitch the 

 majority of them at the September and October 

 Falkirk trysts. 



A barren ewe is marked with ruddle on the back 

 of her head, and the token is renewed with tar at 

 clipping time, which enables the shepherd to put her 

 among the draft, if she misses the next year. The 

 trace of the black-face sometimes peeps out in horns 

 or a black foot and ears ; but, provided the bone is 

 nice and sclef, the breeders do not dislike grey legs, 

 and consider that tliey indicate good provers. Red 

 or white noses or a pink ear invariably show softness, 

 and for this and h?dry wool there is no benefit of 

 clergy. The weight of the hogg fleeces depends so 

 entirely on their keep that it is difficult to strike an 

 average, but even fine sheltered turnip land cannot 

 send them to scale above 4-J to 51bs. A three-shear 

 ewe which has brought up a lamb will average 41bs., 

 wedders of that age 5 to 6lbs., and tups which have 



