No. 3. 



The South-Doion — The Chevoit. 



41 



Fig. 9. The Chevoit.f 



scription of this sheep by Mr. Ellman, who, if 

 he may not be considered, like Mr. Bakewell 

 ^A'ith regard to the Leicesters, as founder of 

 the breed, yet contributed more than any other 

 man to its present improvement and value. 



The head small and hornless; the face 

 speckled or grey, and neither too long nor 

 too short. The lips thin, and the space be- 

 tween the nose and the eyes narrow. The 

 under jaw, or chap, fine and thin ; the ears 

 tolerably wide, and well covered with wool, 

 and the forehead also, and the whole space 

 between the ears, well protected by it, as a 

 defence against the fly. 



The eye full and bright, but not prominent. 

 The orbits of the eye — the eye-cap, or bone, 

 — not too projecting, that it may not form a 

 fatal obstacle in lambing. 



The neck of a medium length, thin to- 

 wards the head, but enlarging towards the 

 shoulders where it should be broad and high, 

 and straight in its whole course above and 

 below. The breast should be wide, deep, 

 and projecting forwards between the fore 

 legs, indicating a good constitution, and a 

 disposition to thrive. Corresponding with 

 this, the shoulders should be on a level with 

 the back, and not too wide above ; they should 

 bow outward from the top to the breast, in- 

 dicating a springing rib beneath, and leaving 

 room for it. 



The ribs coming out horizontally from the 

 spine, and extending far backward, and the 

 last rib projecting more than the others ; the 

 back flat from the shoulders to the setting 

 on of the tail ; the loin broad and flat ; the 

 rump long and broad, and the tail set on high 



and nearly on a level with the spine. iThe 

 hips wide; the space between them and the 

 last rib on cither side as narrow as possible, 

 and the ribs, generally, presenting a circular 

 form like a barrel. 



The belly as straight as the back. 



The legs neither too long nor too short. 

 The fore-legs straight from the breast to the 

 foot; not bending inward at the knee, and 

 standing far apart both before and behind ; 

 the hocks having a direction rather outward, 

 and the twist, or the meeting of the thighs 

 behind, being particularly full ; the bones 

 fine, yet having no appearance of weakness, 

 and of a speckled or dark color. 



The belly well defended with wool, and 

 the wool coming down before and behind to 

 the knee, and to the hock ; the wool short, 

 close, curled, and fine, and free from spiry 

 projecting fibres. 



The South-Down is adapted to almost any 

 situation in the midland part of England ; it 

 has a patience of occasional short keep, and 

 an endurance of hard stocking, ecjual to any 

 other sheep ; an early maturity, scarcely 

 inferior to that of the Leicesters, and the flesh 

 finely grained, and of peculiar good flavor.* 



THE CHEVOIT. 



The inhabitant of a still more elevated re- 

 gion and a colder clime, occasionally exposed 

 to the severest storms, yet enduring them 

 and thriving, will complete the list of models ; 

 and among the British sheep, the Chevoit 

 most deserves to be selected.! 



* Baxter's Agricultural Library, p. 453. 

 t For a very interesting account of this race of Slieep, 

 see Farmers' Cabinet, vol. I., page 150. 



