AND CHOICE OF SHEEP. 35 



which age, they begin to have strength enough to pro- 

 duce good lambs : they continue good rams until 

 eight years old ; but older, they cannot be very ser- 

 viceable. Ewes should be taken at two years, and 

 such as have had no lambs are to be preferred : at 

 five years old the ewes are still better for producing 

 good lambs ; that is, if they have never had them, 

 or at least, if they have not had them before 18 

 months or two years old. At seven or eight years, 

 they grow weak, because they want their fore teeth, 

 with which to browse. Wethers are taken at two or 

 three years, for the sake of their fleeces, until the age 

 of seven years, and then they should be fatted for the 

 butcher. 



Q. What are the signs of good health in sheep ? 



A. A lofty head, a lively and very open eye, a lean 

 forehead and muzzle, moist nostrils without mucus, 

 breath without bad smell, a clean red mouth, all the 

 limbs active, the wool strongly adhering to the skin, 

 which ought to be red, soft and supple, a good appe- 

 tite, the flesh reddish, and principally the vein good, 

 and the ham strong. 



Q. How is it known when the vein is good and the 

 ham strong? 



A. To know the vein, the shepherd bestrides the 

 sheep, and handles the head with both hands, raises 

 the eye-lid with the thumb of the right hand, from 

 the top of the eye, and with the thumb of the left 

 hand, brings it down from the under part : he then 

 examines the veins of the white of the eye ; if they 

 are very apparent, if he observes them to be of a live- 



