

THE BREED OF THE HIGHER WELSH MOUNTAINS. 65 



The Sheep of the higher mountains are of small size, 

 scarcely capable of fattening to above 5 Ib. the quarter, and 

 have horns, both in the male and female, slightly curved, and 

 stretching backwards in the manner of the Goat ; their tail 

 is of ordinary length ; they have a ridge of coarse hairs pass- 

 ing along the spine to the tail, surrounding the neck and 

 reaching to the dewlap ; the wool on the sides is of medium 

 fineness, and on the haunch it is coarse and wiry. The colour 

 of the fleece is black, gray, or brown. 



This remarkable race has the wool and aspect of the 

 Sheep, but in habits it rather resembles the Goat. It seeks 

 the summits of mountains ; it vaults, rather than runs ; 

 and feeds on the dry aromatic plants of mountains in prefer- 

 ence to the herbage of the lower valleys. Like all the na- 

 tive Sheep of elevated regions, the fleece of these wild little 

 animals is a mixture of hair and wool, so that their bodies 

 may be better protected from the inclemency of the weather. 

 They are almost as difficult to be approached in their native 

 haunts as the Deer or the Antelope. Some say that they 

 station sentinels on the higher ground, who give notice to the 

 scattered flock of the approach of danger by a kind of shrill 

 bleat resembling a falsetto tone. As in the case of the An- 

 telope, no sooner is one alarmed, than all the others bound 

 off together, gazing behind them as they run in the manner 

 of the Musmon and Argali. The rams attack the ewes at 

 the period of bringing forth their young a singular instinct, 

 existing, it has been seen, in the wild races of the Zetland 

 and Orkney Islands, and given, it may be believed, to pre- 

 vent the multiplication of their numbers beyond the means 

 of subsistence. 



It may appear remarkable .that this race should preserve 

 itself distinct from the others with which the commons and 

 mountains of the country are stocked. It is to be observed, 

 however, that this is in accordance with the habits of all 

 Sheep possessing a peculiar character and temperament. 

 Thus, the naturalized Merino Sheep never amalgamate tho- 



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