THE BREEDS OF SHEEP 



265 



weighing from 100 to 175 pounds, the ewes 80 to 100 pounds. 

 Their form is light, angular and lacks symmetry when com- 

 pared with that of the mutton breeds. The head is small, 

 completely wooled over except at the tip of the nose, and 

 surmounted by heavy, sharply incurving, spiral horns in 

 the male, while the ewes have none. The fleece is short, 



FIG. 133. A Delaine Merino ram. 



but very dense and fine, being two and one half inches 

 in length and shearing from twelve to twenty pounds. 

 The amount of yolk which it contains causes the fleece 

 to soil on the surface, giving the " Black Topped " effect. 

 The Merino's skin is a most delicate pink. The fleece 

 completely covers the sheep from tip to toe, and the normal 

 surface area is increased by the skin being thrown into 



