THE MUTTON BREEDS OF SHEEP 337 
405,000 sheep. There is also a National Shropshire Asso- 
clation that has issued one volume of its flock-book. 
Oxrorp Down SHEEP. Plate XII. 
By H. P. Miller 
389. The name Oxford as applied to sheep is derived 
from the county of Oxford, England, where the breed was 
developed. The Oxford Down is a_ typical mutton 
breed of sheep. 
390. History in England.— About 1829, John T. 
Twynham conceived the idea of developing a new breed 
of sheep combining the good qualities of the long-wools 
and the Down breeds, by mating the most compact 
Cotswold rams obtainable with his Hampshire ewes. A 
few years later, Samuel Druce and Wm. Gillett began 
a similar system of crossing, although introducing South- 
down blood to some extent. The Hampshire, however, 
was the chief source of Down blood used in the new breed. 
The cross soon became popular, and several other persons 
undertook the same line of breeding or used the cross-bred 
rams so that there was no necessity for in-and-inbreeding ; 
and it does not appear to have been employed to the extent 
that it was in the case of the Southdown. There is no 
definite record as to how long the cross-breeding was con- 
tinued, but, in 1853, Druce wrote that he had no difficulty 
in keeping the form and size of the animal as it should be, 
and the wool of a desirable quality and not deficient in 
quantity. Up to 1857, however, it was known as Down- 
Cotswold, but in that year the name ‘‘ Oxfordshire Down ” 
was adopted. A little later it was changed to Oxford 
Down, and these sheep are now generally referred to as 
Z 
