6 Sheep in relation to their Surroundings. 



a devotion to cross-breeding and the co-production of 

 wool and mutton, to provide the income necessary to pay 

 way on higher values. 



There are two prominent features in a consideration 

 of the question of sheep selection. The country must be 

 known, with its favourable and unfavourable aspects, 

 and something must be known of the characteristics of 

 the breed in view. The two matters are paraphrases of 

 one another. If it is not a provable fact, it is an indis- 

 putable assumption that all breeds of sheep are descended 

 from the one common ancestor, and that the dissimila- 

 rity of climate and soil, aided by the skill of the breeder, 

 has divided the family into many distinct varieties 

 nearly 100 scattered throughout the world, accustomed 

 to thrive under particular conditions that long use has 

 made second nature to them. These varieties or 

 branches of the original family have, quite naturally, 

 acquired, in the course of time, characteristics which 

 make them prejudiced in favour of the fixed idiosyn- 

 cracies of their location, just like the nigger would 

 prefer his tropical surroundings, the Esquimo his snow- 

 bound home, and the Englishman a bracing climate. 



The partiality for its special surroundings is with 

 the sheep much more striking than with any other 

 domestic animal, and when a breed does not do well on 

 certain land it is proof that it is out of its element. The 

 animal thrives in nearly every country of the world, 

 but taking an extreme example, the breed that would 

 prosper on the Russian Steppes would fail in tropical 

 India. With man, the Russian could not live with im- 

 punity in the fever-infested Gold Coast of Africa, and 

 the aboriginal from there would quickly languish in 

 Petrograd. Likewise with sheep may be reduced the 

 leaven of contrast to hilly and flat country, warm and 

 exposed situations, damp and dry country, heavy and 

 fine pastures. 



