104 MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



ers, good feeders, excellent mothers and famous for their twin 

 bearing qualities. One authority claims that about 150 years ago 

 a breed called "Mugs" was introduced into Wensleydale. These, 

 he considers, were a branch of the old Teeswater breed, from which 

 the race of "Wensleydale Longwools" descended. The points of 

 this breed are as follows : 



"Head broad and flat between ears; face dark; ears dark and 

 well set on; muzzle strong in rams; a tuft of wool on forehead; 

 eyes bright and full ; head gaily carried. Neck of moderate length, 

 strong, and well set on to the shoulders. Shoulder broad and 

 oblique. Chest deep and wide. Wool, bright lustre, curled all 

 over body, all alike in staple. Back and loins show ribs well 

 sprung and deep; loin broad and covered with meat, tail broad, 

 flank full. Legs and feet straight and a little fine wool below 

 the hock ; fore legs well set apart ; hind legs well filled with mutton. 

 Skin, blue, fine and soft." 



A breeder of Wensleydales, writing of the weights and early 

 maturing properties of the breed a short time since, said: "I 

 have a pure-bred Wensleydale ram lamb dropped in the latter 

 part of March which showed a gain of 68 pounds in 61 days, 

 and I have on several occasions had lambs of this breed average 

 17 ounces per day from March to October." 



THE DARTMOOR. 



The Dartmoor receives its name from a wild, picturesque 

 moor of that name, situated in Devonshire, which has inspired many 

 a charming little pastoral narrative. It is considered to be one 

 of the most ancient breeds of British sheep, but has been much 

 improved in recent years and would no doubt make a splendid 

 sheep for our western states. Although a very undomesticated 

 kind of grass is about all the moors of Dartmoor afford its deni- 

 zens for summer grazing, it is of a very nutritious character, as 

 the condition of the flocks^ of this large, rugged breed is ample 

 proof. The Dartmoor sheep breeders are careful not to turn their 

 sheep out too early. onto the moor pastures, but keep them on 

 their home farms, which in many instances are as good as almost 

 any found in England. 



The little "Moor-dag" has practically disappeared before the 

 invading influence of the modern Dartmoor, the latter very much 

 larger, due to the influence of the Lincoln or Leicester, no doubt, 

 but has lost little or none of its ancestors' hardiness. As a writer 

 recently remarked, the wild storms that sweep over Dartmoor have 

 never hurt them, and seasons of heavy rains have been withstood 

 without the appearance of rot so apparent in many other breeds. 



The Dartmoor very much resembles the darker faced types 

 of Cotswolds. Professor Wrightson says of it: "The Dartmoor 



