88 THE DOMESTIC SHEEP. 



THE WELSH MOUNTAIN. 



This breed is scarcely worthy of notice were it not for its 

 fine mutton. It is a small, restless, exceedingly active sheep, 

 white-faced, with a carcass yielding a quarter of twelve 

 pounds or less, but of such tenderness of flesh and high 

 agreeable flavor, equal to that of venison, and which brings 

 in the shops of the English cities as much as a dollar a 

 pound at the Christmas holidays, and half as much at other 

 seasons. Its fleece is short but fine, and makes the fine, 

 highly considered Welsh flannels, of which when dyed 

 scarlet the Welsh women make their cloaks. A somewhat 

 ludicrous history is attached to the habit of the Welsh ladies 

 of wearing this kind of outer dress. When the French fleet, 

 about a century ago, landed some soldiers to make a raid 

 on the Welsh coast, the ladies were curious to get a view of 

 the hostile strangers, and a crowd of them standing on a hill 

 were seen by the enemy, who thought them a detachment of 

 soldiers of the English army in their usual red coats. The 

 enemy at once fled back to their ships and hastened home, 

 supposing their intended raid had been made known. 



This sheep is an example of the very certain fact that 

 the tenderness and flavor of the food gives the high flavor 

 to the meat, a fact which is not believed by some, but which 

 is certainly supported by similar evidence other than this, 

 and is illustrated in the clearest manner to the expert shep- 

 herd, who knows how the pastures make the mutton as well 

 as differentiate the character of the sheep. 



THE LEICESTER. 



There is somewhat of a misunderstanding to-day as 

 to what the Leicester breed really is. There was an old Lei- 

 cester breed existing, which was a large coarse sheep with 

 a heavy fleece and a fairly good disposition to feed and 

 fatten, which a noted breeder of the name of Bakewell, who 

 was interested in breeding the Shorthorn cattle, took up, 

 and began a course of improvement by which his name has 

 become famous among sheep breeders. He in course of time 

 made of it what was known as the Dishley (from the name 

 of Mr. Bakew ell's home) or the new Leicester breed. The 

 effect of Mr. Bakewell's efforts in this direction was to pro- 

 duce the most profitable sheep of the time, a masterpiece of 



