101 : : ... . . . . ... ... 



in some respects it resembles the Lonk. I^"ma.y be Seei>,'iu\gmal> 

 numbers, on the borders of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and ^eYo/stire, 

 near Penistone. At one time it extended to a much wider district. 

 The most singular characteristic is the length and muscularity of 

 the tail. 



" THE CHEVIOT. 



The name is derived from the rounded green hills on the Scotch 

 and English Borders, which are the native home of the breed. 

 Throughout Scotland, Cheviot ewes are generally kept on the 

 green hills, while Blackface ewes occupy the higher, black or 

 heathery land. The original unimproved Cheviot was a very close- 

 coated, short- woolled, remarkably hardy sheep even more hardy, 

 it is recorded, than the Scotch Blackface. Many had a slight 

 yellow tinge on the hair of the head and legs, after the colouring of 

 the old hardy Tanfaced sheep which seems to have occupied many 

 of the sheep-grazed parts of Scotland, and which was probably 

 very similar to the Tanfaced Mountain Sheep of Wales. How the 

 early Cheviot was developed from this old breed is not clear, though 

 it is sometimes suggested that crosses with Leicesters or Lincolns 

 were made. The following description of the Cheviot sheep is 

 condensed from the first volume of the Flock Book issued in 1893 

 by The Cheviot Sheep Society (formed 1891). 



Characteristics of the Breed. " The Cheviot tup at maturity 

 weighs, when fat, at least 200 Ib. live-weight. He should have a 

 lively carriage, bright eyes, and plenty of action. His head should 

 be medium in length, well covered with short, fine, white hair ; his 

 ears nicely rounded and not too long (well up from the eye), and 

 rising erect from the head (drooping or low-set ears or narrow ones, 

 ' hare-lugged,' are decidedly faulty) ; nose arched and broad, and 

 nostrils black, full and wide open ; neck strong, but not too long ; 

 ribs well sprung and carried well back towards the hook bones (a 

 long weak back being about the worst possible fault) ; the tail well 

 hung and nicely fringed with wool ; the legs broad and flat, covered 

 with short, hard, white hair; the fleece weighing 10 Ib. to 12 Ib. 

 of fairly fine, densely grown wool of equal quality, meeting tho 

 hair at the ears and cheeks in a decided ruffle. Bareness there, at 

 the throat or near the forearms, near the hocks or below the body, 

 or coarseness about the breeches, is a decided blemish. A hill 

 flock of ewes should clip, on an average, 4^ Ib. each, of fine 

 (washed) wool, stiff, straight, dense and not too short. Hard 

 feeding makes it stronger. The Cheviot should live and thrive 

 well on the poorest keep, and when taken to the lower ground grow 

 larger, and in time become fat." 



Horns on the ram, once thought to be a sign of hardiness, rarely 

 occur now and are out of favour with modern breeders. 



The tail is cut long, at the hock, and protects the udders of 

 breeding ewes on the hill sides. All lambs on lowland pastures 

 and intended for feeding on turnips are docked short to keep them 

 clean. 



Cheviot sheep supplanted the Highland Cattle in the North 

 of Scotland, and also a great many Blackface Sheep which had 



