34 Sheep-Farming 



there the temperature does not vary and the fleece 

 of the sheep grows constantly. 



Marshall gives an apt illustration to show the 

 natural inclination of the sheep when they are left 

 to themselves in making their choice. He tells of 

 an instance when Lincolns and Downs were kept 

 on a farm that included lowlands and uplands. 

 When the sheep were turned out, the Downs would 

 go to the dry uplands, while the Lincolns would seek 

 the marshy bottom land. 



There are probably some anomalies in the classi- 

 fication submitted, but the only one necessary to 

 notice is in respect to the Merino. The Merino is 

 beyond question the most cosmopolitan of the sheep 

 tribe. No breed has passed into all countries and 

 thriven as the Merino, and still further no other 

 breeds have been able to become so closely identified 

 with their environment as to become the progenitors 

 of native families as in the instance of the Merino. 

 This would seem to be due to the migrating habits 

 that characterize the Merino in Spain, where the 

 flocks are driven towards the north in summer and 

 southwards in winter, thus becoming inured to all 

 the variations of a diversified country. In the classi- 

 fication given, the Merino is confined to a prescribed 

 area which is hardly in conformance with the facts. 

 Another feature that is modifying the application 

 of this classification according to the altitude is the 

 degree to which systems of management are changing 



