82 THE SHEEP. 



Sheep of Shropshire, and approach to the general form of the 

 Southdown. 



Of the Forest Breeds, two remarkable ones yet exist in 

 the elevated country between the Bristol and British Chan- 

 nels, the one inhabiting the heathy tract of granite forming 

 the Forest of Dartmoor, the other the district of greywacke 

 of the Forest of Exmoor, at the sources of the river Exe, on 

 the confines of Somerset and Devon. These two races have 

 long attracted attention, from their having supplied the well- 

 known Oakhampton mutton, so named from the sheep having 

 been killed at that town, whence the carcasses are sent to 

 London. But the Oakhampton mutton now not only includes 

 that of the Forest Sheep, but that of the crosses between 

 them and other breeds. 



The Dartmoor Sheep are very small in size, and, like the 

 Sheep of Wales, have long soft wool, in which respect they 

 differ from the other Forest Breeds. The faces and legs are 

 white, and the males have horns. They are exceedingly 

 wild and restless. They are reared in their native pastures 

 of heath, and fattened in the lower country. They will re- 

 main feeding in the valleys in winter, but no sooner does the 

 vegetation of spring commence than they seek to regain their 

 native pastures, and endeavour to break through the fences 

 opposed to their return ; and even the crosses retain this 

 instinct of the race. 



These Sheep produce mutton which bears a high price, and 

 are constitutionally well suited to the barren undrained dis- 

 trict to which they are indigenous; but yet they are an 

 unprofitable race of Sheep, from their small size, defective 

 form, and, above all, their wild and restless temper. The im- 

 mediate profit from crossing them has been so great, that the 

 pure breed is rapidly diminishing in numbers, and will soon 

 become extinct. The principal breeds with which they have 

 been crossed are the Leicester and South Down. The Leices- 

 ter cross is preferred, being more hardy than that with the 

 Southdowns, which seem to amalgamate less freely with the 



