CHAPTER X. 



THE POINTS AND NOMENCLATURE OF SHEEP. 



Points of Sheep. Before dealing with the management of sheep, 

 it is advisable to discuss some of the points which should be looked 

 for in them, as badly-bred sheep are rarely profitable, or, at any 

 rate, are not so profitable as those better bred. In the first place, 

 a sheep should possess features and an outline which are pleasing 

 to the eye. The animal should have a well-balanced appearance, 

 otherwise there is some feature lacking or too prominent. A lean 

 sheep can never show to such great advantage as one which is fat, 

 as meat fills up the frame, and makes it more even and level. It 

 is not, however, necessary that an animal should be fat for its good 

 points and thriving properties to be noticeable. There are signs 

 of good breeding, rapid maturing, good wool, and growthiness in 

 a well-bred sheep, no matter how poor it may be or how ragged the 

 wool may appear, and these are readily seen by a good judge of 

 animals. Features which are good in one breed are generally good 

 in another, though, of course, there are characteristic features in 

 every breed distinguishing them from other breeds ; but in broad 

 principles that which is good in one must be looked for in another. 



The body should have a well-squared appearance ; neither end 

 should taper ; the hind quarters and the fore quarters should 

 finish boldly, and the line of the back and that of the belly should 

 be parallel. 



The tail should be well set on in a line with the back, so as to 

 give the appearance of finish. It should not be too high, and if 

 too low it denotes slackness of the hind quarters and coarse 

 breeding. The tail, or dock, should be broad, affording a good 

 grip when taken in the hand. 



The loin should be broad and flat. The sheep should " back " 

 well. If the spine rises high about the hindquarters the sheep is 

 unthrifty, as it is in an " unimproved " condition. It will generally 

 be seen that where the backbone is raised high on the loin and 

 rump, the girth through the heart is small and the forequarters 

 are light. These are conditions which almost invariably are present 

 in wild sheep and those which have not been subjected to improve- 

 ment by careful selection and breeding. Almost all old illustrations 

 of sheep show these characteristics. Broad, deep forequarters, and 

 broad, flat loins indicate powers of early maturity, consequently 



