384 THE SHEEP OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



lambs and the nature of the sheep market. After about three 

 years' keep on the non-breeding farms these animals turn to the 

 southern markets in the capacity of three-year-old wethers, 

 realising from 35s. to 40s. each. By this time some of the 

 wethers are ready for the butchers, and the majority about half 

 fat — in which latter case they are bought by fleshers and dealers, 

 and put on turnips in England and elsewhere a few months. It 

 should be mentioned that large numbers of black-faces occupy 

 the higher grazings in the north of England. As a rule, in black- 

 faced stocks, the ewes or gimmers do not have lambs until two 

 years old ; earlier breeding, being detrimental to their develop- 

 ment, is as far as possible avoided. The ewes are drafted off at 

 the age of five or six years, and the blanks in the breeding ranks 

 filled by the gimmers. The crook or cull ewes are bought by 

 English farmers and others, mostly for the purpose of crossing 

 for one cross only with white-faced rams, and are afterwards fed 

 for the slaughter-house. 



Several of the wether hirsels in Perthshire, Aberdeenshire, 

 and Inverness-shire number from 6000 to 10,000 animals. The 

 hogs are sent to the coast side for the winter at an expense of 

 from Ss. 6d. to 5s. a head, and in most cases the two-year-old 

 and three-year-old wethers are wintered on the lower portions of 

 the summer grazings. Smearing is extensively resorted to in 

 the Highlands, and contributes much to the animals' comfort, 

 especially where shelter is deficient. 



Though most of the breeders named have reared longer than 

 Mr. Archibald, Overshiels, has done, we believe that his stock 

 is probably the finest extant, and the Highland Society's prize 

 list for many years corroborated the opinion. Assuming that 

 Mr. Archibald's stock is thoroughly representative of the higher 

 class animals at the present day, let us glance briefly at the 

 treatment received by those animals we have so frequently had 

 occasion to admire. In the early days of the flock rams were 

 introduced from most of the best-bred stocks in Scotland, but 

 latterly the changing of blood has been chiefly from the different 

 strains in Mr. Archibald's own possession. In addition to Over- 

 shiels, he rents the hill farm of Midcrosswood, on the west end 

 of the Pentlands, and an arable farm at Duddingston, near 

 Edinburgh. The young stock are lambed on the two hill farms, 



