SHEEP 159 



in all other breeds of sheep — this peculiarity is most frequently found 

 in the sheep at Black Hall, Gaitside, at the top of the Duddon Valley. 

 A diagram of the thorax of one of these is given in Professor Wallace's 

 Farm Live Stock ; it is taken from a photograph of a preparation made 

 in the anatomical department of Edinburgh University. 



A peculiarity of the Herdwicks is their fondness for the heaf 

 upon which they have been bred and accustomed to pasture ; so great 

 is this love or homing instinct that special covenants are inserted 

 in all leases relating to the letting of Herdwicks. No obstacle is too 

 great to prevent a Herdwick, which has been sold and removed a 

 dozen or more miles away, returning to its native heaf — they are sad 

 home-wanderers, as many farmers know who have bought them for 

 crossing or winter feeding. Many an old wether is retained on account 

 of his usefulness in " keeping the heaf," even when his teeth are gone, 

 not only does he keep strangers off, but he educates the young sheep of 

 the flock till they are accustomed to their heaf. 



The tups are loosed about Martinmas till the middle or even 

 latter end of December, according to the farm, during which period 

 the ewes are brought down to the inland, though on some farms they 

 run with the ewes on the fells, the gimmer shearlings being bratted— 

 it used to be customary not to put the latter to the ram till they were 

 3I years old. The tups are alwaj's coloured red at this season of the 

 year to enable the ewes to find them on the open fells — red clay from 

 Red Tarn was formerly used for the purpose, the getting of which was 

 let with the farm, now red ochre is used. Lanty Slee, the last of the 

 illicit distillers in the Lake District, who died in 1878, discovered a 

 vein of " rud " in the Langdale Fells, which he mined and sold for 

 " rudding " the sheep — on delivery it was often known to have some 

 of " t'udder stuff " concealed in it. 



The lambing season commences about the second week in April and 

 continues till the latter part of May. Herdwicks are not great breeders, 

 about 10 per cent, of the ewes have twins, and if well done this per- 

 centage is increased ; about 90 lambs to 100 ewes put to the tup is 

 considered good and 80 not bad. Young poor ewes are sometimes 

 shy about suckling their lambs, and when they are short of milk a 

 little cow's milk is given to the lambs as a substitute — it is prevented 

 from curding by scalding it with a piece of red hot tile or iron. 



