eiMOOU suKEP.] AND TllEIli VAliiOUS BllEEUS. [aAMuououuu sujiEP. 



classed, by some writers, amonpj tlio middle- 

 wooUoJ bieods; but, in our classitii-ation, wo 

 Imvo Ibllowod ^rcCiillocli, and inado only two 

 distinctions — namely, a long and u short, for tlio 

 sake of simplicitj-, Lnrgo numbora of them 

 browso on the hills and the commons of the 

 heathy parts of Devonshire ; but the ewes are 

 taken into inclosurcs to lamb. For tho sake 

 of their wool, tho wethers aro kept on the 

 downs, until they are five or six, or even eight 

 or ten years old, save when tho winters arc 

 severe, when they are inclosed to prevent their 

 being lost in tho snow. Their mutton is deli- 

 cate, and, in the metropolis, procures a ready 

 customer. Their wool, however, is not vei'y 

 fine. Indeed, from an early period, tho Devon- 

 shire produce of this article has had but an 

 indifferent character. In a note in the work 

 published in the Library of Useful Knowledge, 

 it is stated to have been inferior even in the 

 days of Edward IV., when the Devon manu- 

 facturers petitioned him to permit them to 

 mingle flocks with their wool, in the making 

 of their serge cloths, because the material was 

 so gross and stubborn, that cloth could not be 

 made thereof, without mixing it with flocks. 

 Since the introduction of the Leicesters, how- 

 ever, a better article has been produced. It is 

 mostly used for the manufacture of livery-cloths. 



THE EXMOOR SHEEP. 



This species is very like the Dartmoor as to 

 conformation and character, but it is of a still 

 smaller size. The males have hair under the 

 chin, like goats, and bear a striking resemblance 

 to these nimble-footed animals in their activity 

 and boldness. They are milder than the 

 Dartmoor breed, and their flesh is equally 

 good. The horns are large, and very peculiar, 

 spreading at the roots so much, as nearly to 

 touch each other, and proceeding backwards, 

 and growing outwards, so as to be somewhat 

 spiral. The little cars peer out of these folds, 

 and a dull, heavy-looking head is situated be- 

 tween. The throat is flabby and hairy ; the 

 breast narrow and thin, sinking backwards, 

 almost behind the fore legs; and the fore 

 quarter is short. There is a falling of the 

 back behind the shoulder, and a rise at the 

 rump. They are now much improved by the 

 infusion of a little Leicester blood. They are 

 the sheep of Cornwall, which, in early times, 



were remarkably small, and their fleccoB so 

 coarse, that the wool boro no better title than 

 that of Cornish hair. Under tliat, name, tho 

 cloth made of Cornish wool, was allowed to bo 

 exported without being subject to tho cus- 

 tomary duty paid for woollen clotli. Wlien 

 cultivation began to extend, and tlio catlh; to 

 improve in size and quality, tho Cornish had 

 tho same poundage conferred on them by 

 grant from Edward the Black Prince, tho first 

 Duke of Cornwall, on condition of their paying 

 •is. for every hundredweight. These sheep 

 principally occupy the heaths and downs of 

 every part of the county, even as far as the 

 sandy hills, which hardly have a covering of 

 green towards the Land's-end. "\Ve have seen 

 many of them cropping their scanty herbage 

 in these parts, where they are highly valued, 

 on account of the peculiar flavour which their 

 mutton has, from the numerous aromatic plants 

 with which this part of England abounds. Tho 

 native breed is considered to have reached its 

 maturity at four years old; and the average 

 number of twin lambs produced, is about one 

 in six. 



THE BAMDOROUGH SHEEP. 



This is both a short and long-woolled race, 

 very peculiar and valuable, says Mr. Milburn ; 

 and yet it is scarcely named by half tho writers 

 on sheep. It makes mutton readily, and pro- 

 duces a valuable wool. It is bred in the 

 south-eastern parts of Northumberland, and 

 north of Durham — in fact, from the Tweed to 

 the Tyne — and the regular fair for their pur- 

 chase is Rodbury. Tho flocks are remarkably 

 like each other, having flat level backs, being 

 good grazers, producing G lbs. of uool of a 

 strong but close quality, and weighing 22 lbs. 

 per quarter when fat. The heads are placed 

 horizontally, and the animals rapidly accumu- 

 late fat. With ordinary keep the ewes are 

 always fat. They are excellent feeders, and 

 consume a great deal of food. The fat is laid 

 on internally to a large extent, but it is duly 

 mixed with the muscle ; and consequently tho 

 mutton is somewhat insipid. In feeding, they 

 grow more fiit and less muscle, perhaps, than 

 any other breed. From their great resemblance 

 to each other, they seem to be a distinct breed, 

 and are a good deal grazed, the ewes being pur- 

 chased for lambing in Yorkshire. After the 

 lambs are weaned, the ewes soon become fat 



711 



