188 BRITISH SHEEP AND SHEPHERDING. 



between these two wools are very remarkable. The typical long- 

 wool, as its name implies, is long say 10 in. to 16 in. in staple 

 lustrous and wavy. The short- wool is comparatively short say 

 4 in. to Gin. in staple comparatively non-lustrous, and "frizzy." 

 As the uses to which these two typical wools may be put are very 

 varied, and further, as the manipulative processes for the two are 

 very different, it will obviously be advantageous to deal fully with 

 each, and make these two typical styles a basis of comparison 

 for the many British wools of more varied characteristics. 



Before doing this, however, it is at least interesting to note 

 that the usual explanation for the existence of these two types of 

 sheep and wool in our island is that the rougher mountain breed 

 the progenitor of the Long-wool class probably travelled across 

 Europe with the wandering tribes striking north-westwards, and 

 came into the British Isles from the north. On the other hand, 

 the Merino sheep is supposed to have been developed upon the 

 shores of the Mediterranean, to have reached its fullest development 

 in Spain, and from thence to have been brought to the South of 

 England and crossed with the native breeds, thus producing what 

 are known as the Down or Short-wools. Although there seems 

 to be a prejudice against the Merino cross in this country, it is more 

 than probable that these are the facts of the case, for not only 

 are there very suggestive records of such crossing, but in the experi- 

 ments in sheep-breeding recently carried out on the Cambridge 

 University Farm by Professor T. B. Wood, in which a Shropshire 

 was mated with a Merino, there was marked segregation at the 

 first cross, and this could only be due to either the Shropshire or 

 Merino being impure, and as the Merino rams were specially selected, 

 it seems more probable that the Shropshire has been at least origin- 

 ally impure, although, through the care of its breeders, it has 

 now attained to a stability which practically gives it the right to 

 a class name. 



It is further interesting here to note that there still appears 

 to be no evidence which suggests the impossibility of maintaining 

 the Merino wool characteristics in this country, although the 

 converse is frequently asserted. Curiously enough, the suggestion 

 that the long-wool breeds came to this country from the North 

 is indirectly given colour to by the researches of Mr. H. J. Elwes, 

 F.R.S., who, in his many experiments conducted with a view 

 of ascertaining the original progenitor of the sheep in these islands, 

 has gone chiefly to the North for his primitive breeds, including 

 therein the Shetland, Manx, Soay, Hebridean, the Black-faced, 

 and the Orkney breeds of sheep. It is true that the wools of all 

 these are not always characteristically long and lustrous, but 

 probably few of these breeds are absolutely pure ; there are tradi- 

 tions, for example, respecting the Spanish sheep introduced from 





