Sheep 



393 



compact with good width of back, thickness of loin, and plump- 

 ness of thighs. In mutton form they excel all the other breeds. 

 The head is short and broad, wide between the eyes, the ears 

 are short, small, and pointed and are covered on the outside 

 with tufts of wool. The face below the eyes is covered with 

 brownish-gray hair, and the cheeks and forehead with wool. 

 The legs, like the face, are covered with hair. The animals 

 are the smallest of the mutton breeds, rams weighing about 

 one hundred seventy-five pounds and ewes about one hundred 



FIG. 168. Points of the sheep, front and rear views. 6, face ; 7, forehead ; 

 16, brisket, or breast ; 20, girth, or heart girth ; 28, pin bones ; 29, dock, or 

 tail; 31, twist. 



thirty -five pounds. As a breed they are active and adapted 

 to hilly pastures. The fleece is very dense and short. 



Shropshire. The most widely known breed of sheep in 

 America is the Shropshire (Fig. 170). The animals are low- 

 set, broad, deep, and well fleshed, but they do not have as 

 good mutton form as the Southdowns. The head is wooled 

 over, except the nose, which is covered with brown hair. The 

 ears are slightly pointed and are covered on the outside with 

 tufts of fine wool. The legs, where not wooled, are covered 

 with hair the same color as that on the nose. In size the 



