158 



THE COTSWOLD 



It is somewhat larger than the Leicester, mature rams in breeding 

 condition weighing 275 to 300 pounds, and ewes from 180 to 225 

 pounds. Highly fitted show specimens frequently attain such enor- 

 mous weights as 400 pounds and possibly more. 



The wool on the forehead is much longer than on the English 

 Leicester, and in show specimens it is never shorn off and hence 

 falls down over the face in long, flowing locks, thus making the 

 head very attractive. The wool lies at the surface of the fleece in 

 large open curls; it covers the body well and not infrequently 



FIG. 106. Yearling Cotswold rams in their native hills on the farm of Robert 

 Game, England. 



extends as short, downy wool below the knees and hocks. It is per- 

 haps somewhat coarser than the wool of the Leicester, but it is 

 lustrous and sells well as a long, coarse wool. The Cotswold is a 

 heavier shearer than the Leicester. In twelve months the wool 

 attains a length of from ten to fourteen inches, and unwashed fleeces 

 weigh from ten to fourteen pounds. According to Wrightson, fleeces 

 from the best English flocks average nine and one-third pounds, but 

 presumably this weight refers to washed wool (Fig. 106). 



Markings and SKw. The hair on the face is either white or 

 white with light gray specks, and frequently the cheeks and the 

 regions around the eyes are bluish-white. The hair on the legs is 

 either white or white and mixed with light gray. The lips and 



