THE SOUTHDOWN. 49 



sheep on account of its beauty, its adaptability for park life, 

 and its extraordinary quality of flesh, especially if the sheep 

 is allowed to attain the age of four years. The mutton is 

 close grained, dark in colour, tender, juicy, and yields a rich 

 gravy. The joints are not too big, and the proportion of lean 

 meat is large. The Southdown has also been spoken of as a 

 "butcher's sheep," because it lays up a large proportion of 

 loose or inside fat and suet. It proves, or dies well, and may 

 be relied upon to scale heavier than appearance warranted 

 before slaughtering. The Southdown sheep boasts a purer 

 lineage than most of our improved races. It has been 

 alleged that a Leicester cross was made, but, according to 

 Youatt, this cross was a failure, as well as that attempted 

 with the Merino, so that the Southdown stands out promi- 

 nently as a breed improved by pure selection, and not from 

 crossing. 



It is one of the indigenous races peculiar to the chalk hills 

 of the southern counties, and appears to have existed for long 

 upon that breezy upland which finds its tnost southern ter- 

 mination at Beachy Head, and runs inland, as a protecting 

 rampart, north of Brighton, Worthing, and Arundel. The 

 true Southdown sheep appears to have been confined to the 

 Southdowns a Southdown of the Southdowns and to have 

 given way to a larger and looser-formed animal, as the chain 

 of chalks, on which it browsed, passed into the neighbour- 

 ing county of Hampshire. 



Its character has no doubt been influenced by its surround- 

 ings. Originally it was horned, but these appendages have 

 long disappeared except as slugs, or accidental buds. Its 

 light forequarter appears to have been due to the greater 

 muscular development of the hind-quarters required in 

 mounting steep slopes, and its fine short wool to the scanty 

 and short herbage produced on the chalk. The fine grain of 

 the mutton was probably induced by slow growth, and the 

 peculiar nature of the pasturage. Like some other breeds, 

 the Southdown perceptibly alters when transplanted into 



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