SHEEP 343 



standing and seldom as thick. Many of them, too, are a little promi- 

 nent in their shoulders and somewhat lacking behind the shoulders, 

 faults which are being rapidly bred out of them. They will shear 

 about the same weight of fleece as a Southdown. The head of a 

 Dorset should be white, and well covered on the crown and about the 

 jaws with wool. Both male and female have horns, those of the ram 

 being large and heavy, and curving rather closely in front of the 

 head, and those of the ewes being lighter and curving toward the 

 front. 



The peculiarity which stamps the Dorset is their unrivalled 

 fecundity. They will breed at almost any time of the year, and 

 under efficient management, can be made to produce two crops of 

 lambs a year, a practice not, however, to be commended. The ewes 

 also rival all other breeds as milkers. Possessing these qualities, 

 Dorsets are particularly popular in those sections of the country 

 where breeders cater to the Christmas or "Hothouse" lamb trade. 

 In America they are found in largest numbers in the vicinity of 

 thickly populated and wealthy areas, where the people are prepared 

 to pay a sufficiently high price for early lambs. 



The Cheviot. This is one of the most beautiful and hardy of 

 all the British breeds. The breed is of Scotch origin, 'being a native 

 of the Cheviot Hills, in Southeastern Scotland. Legend traces their 

 ultimate ancestry to sheep that swam ashore from the shipwrecked 

 vessels of the Spanish Armada. The Cheviot Hills are clothed with 

 short, sweet herbage right to their summit. At the same time, they 

 are snow-covered for a large part of the year, and the high altitude 

 exposes them to severe storms, so that the Cheviot sheep have become 

 inured to exposure, being inferior in this particular, however, to the 

 Black-faced Highland sheep. 



In size, the Cheviots are about the same as the Shropshire. They 

 are not unlike the Leicester in appearance, but are more stylish sheep, 

 carrying their heads higher, and with greater fire in their eyes, and 

 grace in movement. The face and legs are bare of wool, but should 

 be well covered with short, hard, wiry, pure white hair, which should 

 extend over the ears and well back over the head. Horns on rams, 

 though not always present, are not objected to, being considered a 

 sign of hardiness. The ears are carried rather more erect than those 

 of the Leicester. The nose is somewhat Roman, the nostrils black, 

 and the eyes dark, very full and bright. The wool is moderately 

 long, and should be dense, and neither open nor curly, but straight 

 (somewhat like the Down breeds). The Cheviot is a hardy sheep, a 

 good grazer, and of splendid mutton form. 



The Black-Faced Highland Breed. They are essentially the 

 sheep of the Highlands of Scotland, where no animal can take their 

 place. They are mountain sheep, hardy, vigorous, active, and hence 

 capable of gathering a living or the exposed Highlands, where other 

 breeds would perish, either from starvation or exposure. They are 

 a comparatively new breed in Scotland, having been there, accord- 

 ing to tradition, for not more than one hundred and forty years. 

 Their ultimate origin is shrouded in mystery, some tracing it to 



