THE ROMNEY MARSH BREED. 177 



most part, long-legged, flat-sided, and coarse in the extre- 

 mities. But a surprising change has taken place within 

 the present century, and there now exist entire flocks, which 

 cannot he recognised as the descendants of the older race. 

 This change has arisen in part from intermixture of the New 

 Leicester blood, and in part from the increased attention of 

 breeders to the form and qualities of the animals. 



The Leicester Breed found its way into these marshes 

 more slowly than into most other parts of the kingdom, and 

 violent prejudices, not yet subdued, for a time resisted its 

 reception. But about the beginning of the present century, 

 a general desire began to manifest itself amongst the more 

 enlightened breeders, to avail themselves of the means of 

 improvement which a breed so highly cultivated as the New 

 Leicester presented to them ; and great numbers of rams 

 from the midland counties were accordingly introduced by 

 individual breeders. The effects were soon apparent, even 

 in the flocks of those who were the most opposed to the 

 foreign breed ; and it may be doubted if there now exists a 

 single long-woolled Sheep in the county of Kent, in which 

 the influence of the New Leicester blood does not appear. 

 The first effect of the crossing was to reduce the bulk of the 

 native Sheep, but to give them a greater symmetry of parts 

 and tendency to fatten ; and, independently of the effects, 

 direct and indirect, of the mixture, the placing of superior 

 models before the eyes of breeders, produced a beneficial 

 result throughout the whole district, so that more attention 

 was from this period bestowed on improving the native stock 

 by selection. After a time, indeed, the feeling in favour of 

 the older race began to revive ; and, for a considerable period 

 past, the Romney Marsh breeders have, with few exceptions, 

 continued to breed from the indigenous stock. Nevertheless, 

 the effects of the change produced by the former crossing 

 remained, and the modern Sheep of the marsh, although 

 still retaining a greater degree of coarseness and lankness 

 of body than can be approved of, form a very different race 



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