MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 133 



line close to the outside edge, and extending about two-thirds of the 

 way around. They also generally have black hairs among the 

 fawn-colored ones on the outside and a few fawn-colored hairs near 

 the head on the inside. There is also a slight tendency to a Roman 

 nose, especially in the ram. The body is covered with a thick, 

 pliable and generally soft skin, which carries an abundant coat 

 of coarse hair. The hair seemed coarser on the light colored sheep 

 than on the darker ones. Some of these sheep show traces of white 

 wool fibers. The buck has a decided beard, which extends from the 

 angle of the jaws, almost to the brisket, at which latter point it 

 is quite prominent. The color of the beard is black, with a few 

 brown hairs. The hair fibers are about three-fourths of an inch 

 long over the most of the body, increasing in length on the back of 

 the hind quarter to as much as one and one-half inches. Where wool 

 is present it is longer than the hair. The bone is rather large but 

 generally clean. The yearling ewes average a little over 75 pounds 

 and the yearling bucks weigh about 80 pounds." 



TIBET SHEEP. 



In "Tibet and the Tibetans," Mons. F. Grenard gives some 

 very interesting information regarding the sheep of that country. 

 He says they supply the natives with meat, furs for the very severe 

 winter and wool for export and home use. In western Tibet the 

 sheep are used as beasts of burden. The mutton is coarse,. The 

 wool is thick, hard and coarse. A fat sheep costs about 75 cents. 



ASTRACHAN SHEEP. 



The Astrachan sheep is found in southern Eussia and Central 

 Asia. This breed is noted for its fine, spirally curled wool which 

 is of a gray or mixed black and white color. The horns of the ram 

 curl backwards and spread at the tips. 



ICELAND SHEEP. 



Iceland sheep are small and cut but little figure in the world's 

 mutton or wool supply. The farmers of Iceland have been ex- 

 perimenting of late with a view of ascertaining the suitability of 

 the milk of the ewe for making butter. They have made butter 

 both from sheep's milk alone and from a mixture of sheep's and 

 cow's milk. Samples of both products have been tested by Danish 

 experts, who declare they could tell but little difference between 

 them and the butter made from the pure milk of the cow. 



ST. KILDA SHEEP. 



This breed of sheep is considered by some authorities to have 

 originated in the Hebrides and Iceland. Several flocks of them are 

 to be found in Wales. A peculiar characteristic of the breed is 



