434 Saddle and Sirloin. 



her. On January 2nd, she began at 6 feet 1 1 inches, 

 March 2nd found her expanded to 7 feet 7 inches, and 

 April 4th to 7 feet 9 inches, and there seemed every 

 reason to hope that she would touch Variety, who 

 finally filled the tape at 8 feet 8J inches. This com- 

 fortable-looking daughter of Mistletoe was red and 

 white in large patches, but Mr. Duckham proved her 

 rigid orthodoxy of descent in reply to a newspaper 

 doubter, and her two first prizes at Baker-street and 

 Bingley Hall were suffered to remain unchallenged. 



CHAPTER XV. 



" But a plain leg of mutton, my Lucy, 

 I pry'thee get ready at three ; 

 Have it smoking, and tender, and juicy, 



And what better meat can there be ? 

 And when it has feasted the master, 

 'Twill amply suffice for the maid ; 

 Meanwhile, I will smoke my canaster, 

 And tipple my ale in the shade. " 



Thackeray. 



Shropshire Sheep — Lord Berwick's Herefords — Sir Bellingham Graham 

 — Coursing at Sundorne — Mr. Corbet — Old Bob Luther. 



SAMUEL MEIRE and George Adney may be 

 said to have been the great founders of the " Im- 

 proved Shrop." To hear many of the breeders talk 

 one might fancy that there had never been any 

 " alloy blood" — no quality from the Southdown, no 

 fat back from the Leicester ;* but that the Shrop as 

 it now exists is the original " image which fell from 



* As far as we can ascertain, the first cross tried by the late Mr. 

 Meire in 1810 was that with a Southdown bred by Mr. Tench of Brom- 

 field, and as the fleece became very important, a Leicester was used 

 soon after with the best effect as regards wool and mutton. This was 

 all done before ram-breeding in Salop was studied, and its sheep con- 

 sidered a distinct breed. Mr. Samuel Meire brought rams out after 



