72 THE HEKDWICK. 



They are a white-faced, hornless sheep, carrying a fine, short- 

 fleece. Like the majority of mountain sheep, they are liable to 

 be light in the fore-qnarter. 



Their designation as Cheviots appears to have been given 

 them in 1792 by Sir John Sinclair. They v^ere termed long 

 sheep (meaning length of body) in contradistinction to the black- 

 faced or short sheep — a breed more especially to be met with in 

 the North of Scotland, the stronghold of the Cheviot being in 

 the South. The first improvement of the original stock appears 

 to have been about 1755 or 1756, by the judicious admixture of 

 Lincoln blood; they have also been greatly benefited, as have 

 many other of the prominent breeds of to-day, by crossing 

 with the improved Leicester However, experience has proven 

 that to maintain the characteristic hardiness of the race, it is 

 necessary to breed them pure. As a mountain sheep they are 

 unexcelled, and should prove valuable to withstand the hard- 

 ships of the Western mountain ranges. 



Cbe Rcrdwick, 



Is a native of the North of England Lake Region, grazing over 

 the beautiful mountain districts of Westmoreland and Cumber- 

 land. It has become famous throughout the North of England 

 more on account of the delicate flavor of its mutton than for its- 

 wool-growing qualities. 



Tradition places the origin of this breed at the time of the 

 defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, stating that a Spanish 

 vessel, in trying to escape, ran aground on the coast of Cumber- 

 land, and that "forty small sheep managed to save themselves 

 from the wreck, swimming ashore at Drigg, and were claimed as 

 jetsam and flotsam by the lord of the manor." Eor the last 300 

 years they have held their own in the district, being peculiarly 

 adapted to their mountain ranges. 



