468 



THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. 



BOOK IV. 



and full, and the point coming well forward. The ribs should be well 

 arched and deep, the back broad and short, with full square quarters 

 and strong thighs. The hocks should be turned slightly out when 

 walking, and the legs should be flat and clean, with well-developed 

 joints and broad full feet. The fleece should be deep, thick, and 

 strong, of uniform quality all over the body, and of a kind to stand the 

 wear and tear of age. 



A good average flock will yield a " clip " of from 4| to 5 Ib. per 

 head of unwashed wool. Tup hogs frequently clip from 8 to 10 Ib. 

 of wool, and the Overshiels ram Saul (fig. 102), which was first in the 

 aged class at the Windsor Show, clipped 16^ Ib. of wool the week after 



Fig. 102. Black-faced Mountain Ram "Saul." 



Winner of First Prize at the Jubilee Show of the Royal Agricultural Society at Windsor, 

 1889. Bred by Mr. John Archibald, Overshiels, Fountainhall, Midlothian. 



that show. The ewes when fat will weigh from 15 to 18 Ib. per 

 quarter, and the wethers from 16 to 20 Ib. per quarter. 



Among the breeders whose enterprise and skill have contributed in 

 an especial degree to the improvement and popularity of the breed 

 are the Messrs. Archibald, of Overshiels, to whose flock the ram 

 Saul belonged. These gentlemen breed and sell some 150 rams 

 every year, and they have rarely if ever been beaten at the Royal or 

 Highland Shows except by rams of their own breeding. Of the 

 exhibitors of ewe stock at the national shows one of the most 

 successful is the Duke of Argyle, whose flock is mainly headed by 

 rams of Overshiels blood. 



Two illustrations (figs. 101 and 102) are given of the Black-faced 

 Mountain sheep. 



