THE BEAUTY OF CATTLE 77 



history of the domesticated animals which are now as 

 native to the soil as any of the ancient wild races 

 could name any district in which he found himself by a 

 glance at the sheep upon the hills. Not even the 

 cattle exhibit such marked differences as are to be found 

 in the flocks which a century of careful selection has 

 fitted to thrive best in the varied soils of England. 

 The big Leicester sheep, with long gray wool and white 

 faces, are as different from the ' Cotswolds ' as a New- 

 foundland from a white poodle. In the ' Cotswolds ' 

 will be found the original of the c baa-lamb ' of the 

 nursery. These sheep are tall, with white wool in 

 locks, and with tufts upon the head and forehead. 

 The Lincolnshire sheep are more like those of Leicester, 

 but heavier in the fleece, coarser, and more fitted for 

 life in the marshes. They have, perhaps, the most 

 intelligent faces of any sheep but the refined South 

 Downs. We noticed a Lincoln ewe endeavouring to 

 open a sack of cakes by putting her foot into the 

 mouth, and drawing out the contents, as it lay on the 

 ground in the next pen. Romney Marsh has its own 

 breed of sheep, somewhat like the Lincolns. But of all 

 the flocks of England, the South Downs must win the 

 palm. Their short-clipped and delicate wool is felted 

 together like moss. The hand sinks into it with 

 difficulty. The form is beautiful and rounded, and 

 though apparently so finely built, their weight is great. 



