

THE OLD NORFOLK BREED. 115 



accordingly, have been regarded as well-fitted for distant 

 journeys, and for bearing the rough treatment of the fold. 

 They hold their necks erect, and, in their carriage, resemble 

 Antelopes. Their faces and legs are covered with short black 

 hair : their wool weighs from two and a half to four pounds 

 the fleece, is fine and silky, and possesses sufficient felting 

 properties to fit it for being made into second or livery cloths. 

 It formerly brought a high relative price in the market ; but, 

 in consequence of the increased use of the finer wools of Spain 

 and Saxony in the manufacture of superior cloths, the wool 

 of this, as of the numerous other breeds which formerly pro- 

 duced short or clothing wools, has declined in value. 



These Sheep have much of the aspect of the Black-faced 

 Heath Breed, but differ from that race in their longer body 

 and limbs, and in the characters of the fleece ; their wool 

 not being harsh and wiry, as in the case of the Heath Breed, 

 but soft, and suited for felting. The softness of their fleece 

 gives them some affinity with the Southdowns ; but they 

 differ from that race in their robuster form, and in their 

 bolder, wilder, and more restless habits. We must suppose 

 that the characters of this breed have been acquired from 

 peculiarities in the soil and climate of the district which it 

 inhabits. This tract is calcareous, sandy, and naturally pro- 

 ductive of heaths, with hard and wiry grasses. Being obliged 

 to traverse extensive tracts to procure sufficiency of food, the 

 animals have become active and muscular ; and the country 

 they inhabit being somewhat elevated, and exposed to dry 

 easterly winds, they are furnished with a fleece sufficiently 

 close to defend them from the chill breezes, without having 

 that long coat of wool which is needed in situations more 

 humid and mountainous. Inhabiting, too, a country in which 

 chalk, and the detritus of chalk, exist, the wool has acquired 

 that fineness which generally characterizes other races accli- 

 mated in calcareous districts. This breed must be referred 

 to the same general type as the Black-faced Heath Breed ; 

 and we may believe, that the characters which distinguish it 



