SOUTHDOWN SHEEP. 329 



on either side as narrow as possible, and the ribs, generally 

 speaking, presenting a circular form like a barrel. The belly 

 as straight as the back ; the legs neither too long nor too short. 

 The fore legs straight from the breast to the foot, not bending 

 inward at the knee, and standing far apart both before and 

 behind ; the hocks having a direction rather outward, and the 

 twist, or the meeting of the thighs behind, being particularly 

 full. The bones fine, yet having no appearance of weakness, 

 and of a speckled or dark colour. The belly well defended with 

 wool, and the wool coming down before and behind to the knee 

 and to the hock, the wool short, close, curled, and fine, and free 

 from spiry projecting fibres." 



In most respects a good typical flock of Sussex Downs at the 

 present day would answer to the above description ; in one 

 respect, however, a marked alteration has occurred — ^viz., in 

 colour. Speckled faces and legs would now be looked upon 

 with horror, as indicative of bad blood. A uniform tint now 

 prevails, varying from brown to fawn, or almost grey. The 

 Sussex-bred sheejj are, as a rule, lighter of feature than the 

 sheep cultivated on richer and flatter soils ; the forehead is 

 covered with short wool, and the cheeks are moderately woolled. 

 Owing to better resources for feeding, the sheep are larger, 

 reach maturity sooner, and are more cultivated. The hill farms, 

 however, cannot produce great weights; activity rather than 

 size is here the desideratum. 



To EUmann is due the credit of first improving the South- 

 downs ; but it is equally true that his attention would have been 

 in vain but for the facilities afforded in the growth of root crops 

 for a regular and nutritious diet. So long as the sheep were 

 expected to work hard for subsistence during the day, travelling 

 long distances to and from their feeding ground, and often 

 having to cover much ground in order to obtain a bellyful, and 

 were folded at night on bare fallow, neither early maturity nor 

 perfection of form would be possible. We have but little 

 direct evidence as to the method pursued by Ellmann. Experi- 

 ments were tried no doubt ; and it is possible that either he or 

 others may have introduced a dash of Leicester blood, which 

 would give quality ; but it is not necessary to imagine this. If 

 he selected the best specimens from his own and neighbours' 



