LEICESTERS AND LINCOLNS. IC>5 



If the heads are closely observed it will be seen that the 

 Shropshire sheep has a rounder profile, and is more com- 

 pletely clothed with wool towards his nose and mouth. His 

 legs are also woolled down to his feet in great profusion 

 the general appearance of the head suggesting the Merino. 

 The ears are still more characteristic, for they are short, 

 thin, and rounded, and often light coloured at the tips. The 

 Oxford ear is longer and thicker, and shows the origin of the 

 breed from Hampshire and Cotswold parentage. The face 

 of the Oxford is more wedge-shaped, the muzzle and lips are 

 thicker, and the nostrils are more expanded. The face of 

 the Oxford is more varied in colour, from rich brown to the 

 same with splashes of light grey. The ear is the most strik- 

 ing point of difference, and the contrast between the large 

 and bold ear of the Oxford and the rounded, short ear of 

 the Shropshire is very marked. Many Shropshire sheep at 

 Plymouth exhibited folds of skin about the throat and neck 

 which forcibly reminded the observer of the Merino type. 

 Loose skin about the throat such as many of those sheep 

 carried would be considered objectionable by judges of 

 Oxford or of Hampshire Downs. A Hampshire sheep thus 

 furnished would at once be dubbed as " throaty," and would 

 not command a high price in a ram sale. This feature was, 

 however, apparently accepted as correct by the judges of 

 Shropshires. 



LEICESTERS AND LINCOLNS. 



The chief differences between Leicesters and Lincolns are 

 seen in the larger and bolder heads of the latter, which are 

 much more robust in type. The modern Leicester is also 

 smaller in carcase and finer in bone than the Lincoln, which 

 is paramount in point of size and weight of all our breeds of 

 sheep. The Lincoln wool is displayed in large and bold 

 masses, and is denser, stronger, and very much longer and 

 heavier than that of the Leicester. The face of the Lincoln 



