82 THE DOMESTIC SHEEP. 



much favored style and an attractive appearance. The nose 

 is wide, the back of the head is flat, the ears are large and 

 prominent. The carcass is noted for its evenness and the 

 absence of patches of fat, the meat being well mingled with 

 fat all through rather than on the outside of the carcass. 

 While it is somewhat slower in maturing and in taking on 

 fat than the Leicester, it is thought to be hardier in consti- 

 tution, and in its active disposition, being, as we should say, 

 a far better rustler, and thus more able to withstand the 

 ordinary hardships of outdoor winter keeping. It is thus of 

 value for crossing on the common range flocks as well as for 

 open grazing on farms. 



THE MOUNTAIN BREEDS. 



The Cheviot is the principal breed of this class, and the 

 more interesting to the American shepherd, as it is already 

 introduced on this side of the Atlantic, and has made a place 

 for itself in which it has proved to be a valuable breed for 

 farm use as well as for crossing on our native stock. Wo 

 have an association of breeders of this sheep who deserve 

 credit for their enterprise in this direction. 



It is named from the Cheviot hills, a range of low moun- 

 tains on the border of England and Scotland, once, on a time, 

 the scenes of continued strife between what might have been 

 called in our parlance border ruffians, who during the old 

 wars between England and Scotland made these noted hills 

 the scenes of midnight forays, by what were then called the 

 cattle lifters. Then every shepherd's house was his castle, 

 in which- always armed he was prepared to defend his 

 herds and flocks from the invaders from both sides. At the 

 present time these sheep are scattered all over the green 

 hills of Scotland, and with the Black-faced Highland sheep 

 make up the great majority of the flocks. The author takes 

 a deeper interest in this breed, possibly, as he imported some 

 of them some few years ago for his farm in the mountains 

 of North Carolina, where they succeeded admirably, and the 

 cross of this breed on the native sheep of this district is yet 

 apparent in the larger build, finer mutton character, and the 

 largely increased fleece of wool, admirably adapted to the 

 home manufacture of the popular jeans. 



The special marks of this breed are the short, hard, pure 



