HOW TO HANDLE AND EXAMINE SHEEP 371 



4 



i^re 



the hands. The fingers are extended, but kept close to- 



gether, and then the hand is pressed down upon the part 



to be felt. The object in keeping the fingers close together, 



is twofold. First, one does not make numerous holes in the 



fleece, as he would in sticking separate fingers into the wool, 



thereby making openings in which chaff and dirt may lodge. 



Further, by pressing down on the wool, with the fingers 



united to form one __ 



big finger as it 



were, the judge 



may easily feel the 



outline of the form 



below. By holding 



the ends of the 



f i n g e rs together, 



one is able to feel 



over a section of 



the body, as with a 



sensitive i n s t r u- 



ment, thus deter- 



mining, as would 



not be possible 



otherwise, the char- 



acter of covering 



of fleece and flesh, 



and the curves and outlines of the body. Sometimes one 



hand is used, sometimes two, but the man who knows his 



business never musses the fleece, and when he is done, it is 



in as good form as before. 



The covering of fleece on the sheep varies greatly, even 

 on the same animal, in length, thickness, quality, etc. One 

 cannot judge with any certainty as to the character of 

 either fleece or body, without a systematic examination by 

 hand and eye. Under ordinary field conditions a sheep will 

 appear quite different from one under show ring con- 

 ditions, with the fleece trimmed by the shears, and blocked 

 out. As one passes among the fitted sheep on the show 



Fig. 202. "The fingers are extended, but 

 kept close together, and then the hand is 

 pressed down upon the part to be felt." 



