70 THE DOMESTIC SHEEP. 



experience of the breeders may be taken as a complete 

 contradiction of the naturalist's belief, to the effect, that 

 crossing a pure bred animal outside of its own kind is apt 

 to produce diversion and make the breed impure by the 

 effect of the cross on the character of the ewe. The long 

 peculiar history of the Dorset goes to show that, with sheep 

 certainly, the outcross does in no way vitiate the blood of 

 the females so bred. 



The peculiar system of rearing these market or house 

 lambs will be especially noticed in another chapter. 



The Somerset sheep is somewhat larger than the Dorset 

 and differs from it in having a pink nose, that of the Dorset 

 being white. The wool is also a little longer, and the lambs 

 are heavier. This breed has however the same special pecu- 

 liarities, being used for rearing early lambs, which are fatted 

 and often sold with the ewes at the same time. 



A smaller variety of the Dorset is the Portland sheep, 

 reared on the island of Portland, where not more than a 

 few thousand are kept, principally for their sweet and del'- 

 cate mutton, which brings a sufficiently high price to pay 

 for rearing this small sheep, which do not weigh over ten or 

 twelve pounds the quarter, when fat and fully matured. 



THE LONG-WOOL BREEDS. 



The Long-wool sheep are without horns, except in some of 

 the mountain breeds, and one of these is fast losing this un- 

 necessary appendage, once needed doubtless when this de- 

 fense against the wolves and foxes was indispensable. The 

 most conspicuous of this class of sheep is 



THE LINCOLN. 



Sheep are especially influenced by their environments. 

 This is clearly proved by the large number of special breeds 

 existing in the small extent of the British Islands, in which 

 there are more sheep, and a greater variety of them, than in 

 any other country in the world as compared with it in area. 

 The English are a mutton eating people, and enjoy an enor- 

 mous trade in woolen goods, having the great monopoly, as it 

 were, of the world's markets for this invaluable product. 

 This has existed for hundreds of years, nay it is nearly two 

 thousand years since the first woolen factory was in opera- 

 tion in that busy country. Consequently we cannot have a 



