21 



Good Animals 16 



Medium ,, 23 



Defective ,, 41 



Total 80 



It may be said of the above that, generally speaking, 

 they showed the following faults : Heavy heads, narrow 

 chests, salient backs, flat sides, long flanks, and tails 

 attached too low. 



PURITY OF BREED. 



Very few of the rams which were exhibited as Merino 

 could pass as " pure." Amongst a very small number, the 

 characteristic beauties of the Merino were preserved ; and in 

 cases of one or more of these points being found in one 

 exhibit, the animal often presented several defects which 

 detracted considerably from its value. 



To give a few examples : on consulting my notes on each 

 ram, I find the following, which I transcribe literally, leaving 

 the numbers in blank : 



"No Amongst all the exhibits this is one whose 



" form is the best and most regular : He is well covered, and 

 lt possesses excellent qualities but one of them has been 

 " forced too far, so as to become a defect ; this animal's nose 

 " is too fine, and is without character, being rather that of a 

 " sheep than of a ram.'* 



Another ram from a like source is thus annotated : 

 " Passably good form : The chest, however, rather narrow, 

 " the loins not well borne up, and the tail set on too low ; 

 " the fleece, regarded as a ram's, preferable to the preceding 

 " one." 



These results may have two causes : Either the 

 Selection, for some reason, was not sufficiently strict, or the 

 following has taken place: Degeneracy of the first ram, 

 caused by an excess of a series of improvements of race, 

 carried on by means of consanguinity during several genera- 

 tions ; this degeneracy showing itself by the change in the 

 nature of the wool. 



In the case of the second ram, the fleece is better very 

 good even ; but the same degeneracy is differently shown in 

 the form of certain parts of the body. 



The one has preserved all the characteristics of perfect 

 Merinos with the exception of the wool ; the other, on the 

 contrary, shows the wool of a good Merino, and at the same 

 time the defects with which faulty Merinos are reproached 

 are apparent. 



