SHEEP IN SCOTLAND 43 



some 22 inches high at the shoulder, as against the 32 inches 

 of the wild Urial of the present day. The Scottish Lowland 

 breeds in the sixteenth century still retained the short tails 

 characteristic of the wild species, as Leslie noted, and even 

 to-day the Shetland survivors possess short tails with only 

 thirteen vertebral bones in contrast to the twenty or more 

 tail-vertebrae found in modern improved British breeds. In 

 another and significant respect the Turbary sheep retained 

 the Urial characters, for, in contrast to the hornless ewes 

 of the Mouflon, their ewes possessed a pair of light erect 

 goat-like horns, very different from the heavy, curved but 

 not spiral horns of the rams. But in one respect, other than 

 size, the domesticated race differed materially from its wild 

 ancestors, and that in regard to its coat. For whereas the 

 wild species possesses an undercoat of wool concealed 

 beneath a longer coat of fawn hair, in the Turbary sheep, 

 the wool, though still short and fine, predominated over the 

 hair, if we can judge from the Shetland survivors, and was 

 of pale brown colour, known as "moorit." 



CHARACTERISTIC IMPROVED SCOTTISH BREEDS 



The characteristics of the races of domestic sheep which 

 first appeared in Scotland having been summarized, it remains 

 to indicate the changes which selection of suitable stock and 

 careful in-breeding and crossing have wrought in typical 

 improved breeds of the present day in Scotland, such as the 

 Cheviot Sheep of the south country uplands and the High- 

 land Black-faced Sheep (Figs. 8 and 9, pp. 44 and 48). It 

 says much for the reality of man's influence in altering the 

 characters of his domestic stock, that in little more than 

 three-quarters of a century, since Youatt described the 

 "Black-faced Sheep," in 1837, and Low the "Black-faced 

 heath Sheep," in 1842, local conditions, different modes of 

 treatment and to some extent crossing with other breeds have, 

 according to Professor Wallace, split the breed into "at least 

 seven very distinct sections which might rank as breeds." 



The Highland Black-faces and the Cheviots of to-day 

 differ in several important respects from the primitive domes- 

 tic breeds. As a rule, neither Cheviot ewes nor rams have 

 horns, though the latter may possess a smooth pair with a 



