THE OLD LINCOLN BREED. 171 



The Old Lincoln Sheep, of which the remnants now only 

 exist, are destitute of horns, are of coarse form, have large 

 limbs and hoofs, hollow flanks, and flat sides. Their long 

 unctuous wool almost hangs to the ground, and they have a 

 large tuft on the forehead. Their fleece weighs from 10 to 

 12 lb., and, in the rams and fattened wethers, often greatly 

 exceeds this weight. They fatten slowly, and consume much 

 food, but are valued by the butchers for their tendency to 

 produce internal fat. About seventy years ago, when the 

 New Leicester, or Dishley breed of Bake well, became dis- 

 tinguished, the Lincolnshire breeders resorted to this stock 

 as a means of communicating to their own the property of 

 early fattening, for which the new breed was eminent. This 

 system of crossing was carried on until the close of the last 

 century, and has been continued up to the present time, so 

 that the old breed is scarcely any where to be found of un- 

 mixed blood. The figure given in my larger work is taken 

 from a flock which has been maintained perfectly pure from 

 a period previous to that in which the Dishley blood was in- 

 troduced. The worthy owner, amidst all the changes of the 

 times, has continued to maintain the stock which his fore- 

 fathers had cultivated. By the continued breeding from the 

 same blood, this particular flock has doubtless suffered de- 

 terioration ; but it retains all the essential characters of the 

 ancient race, and presents, perhaps, the only living example 

 of the most remarkable breed of Sheep which the British 

 Islands have produced. 



The crossing of the Old Lincoln with the Dishley blood, was 

 not at first effected without great opposition, and a contest 

 arose between the supporters of the ancient breed and the 

 new, which lasted for more than a quarter of a century. The 

 advocates of the older breed contended for its greater hardi- 

 ness, its better adaptation to the rich pastures of the country, 

 the enormous weight to which individuals could be raised, 

 and, above all, their unrivalled fleece. On the other hand, 

 the earlier maturity, and the greater aptitude to fatten, of the 



