BREED CHARACTERISTICS 397 



Standard of Excellence and Scale op Points for Sodth- 

 DOWN Sheep. 



Points. 



Head. — Medium in size and hornless, fine, carried well up, the 



forehead or face well covered with wool, especially between the 



ears and on the cheeks, and in the ewe slightly dished 5 



Lips and Under Jaw. — Fine and thin 1 



Ears. — Rather small, tolerably wide apart, covered with fine 



hair, and carried with a lively back-and-forth movement . 2 



Eyes. — Full and bright . . 3 



Face. — ^A uniform tint of brown, or gray, or mouse color 3 



Neck. — Short, fine at the head, but nicely tapering, and broad 



and straight on top at the shoulders ... .4 



Shoulders. — Broad and full, smoothly joining the neck with the 



back ... . 5 



Breast. — Wide, deep and projecting well forward, the forelegs 



standing wide apart .5 



Back. — Back and loin broad and straight from shoulders to rump 7 

 Ribs. — Well arched, extending far backward, the last projecting 



more than the others . . ... 6 



Rump. — Broad, square and full, with tail well set up . . 6 



Hips. — Wide, with little space between them and last ribs . . 6 

 Thighs. — Full and well let down in twist, the legs standing well 



apart .... ... , 6 



Limbs. — Short and fine in bone, and in color to agree with the 



face .... . . .3 



Forelegs. — Well wooled and carrying mutton to the knees, but 



free from meat below . . 2 



HiNDLEGS. — Well filled with mutton and wooled to the hocks, 



neat and clean below . 2 



Belly. — Straight and covered with wool, the fiank extending so 



as to form a line parallel with the back or top line 5 



Fleece. — Compact, the whole body well covered with moderately 



long and close wool, white in color, carrying some yolk . 12 



Form. — Throughout smooth and symmetrical, with no coarseness 



in any part . ... . . .... 9 



General Appearance. — Spirited and attractive, with a deter- 

 mined look, a proud and firm step, indicating constitutional 



vigor and thorough breeding 8 



Total . 100 



Oxford. — ^The Oxford, which is a derivative of a Hamp- 

 shire-Cotswold cross, is the largest of the medium wool 

 breeds of sheep. In some respects it resembles the Shrop- 

 shire and Hampshire breeds, although it is larger in size. 

 The breed is somewhat variable in this respect, standard 

 rams of the breed weighing from 250 to 350 pounds and 

 ewes from 180 to 275. The constitution of the Oxford is 

 well developed, as indicated by the broad, deep chest which 



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