British Breeds of Sheep 85 



indeed is the effect of climate and soil, that the fine 

 flavor of the Southdown mutton may be changed 

 in time to the coarse, tallowy meat of the Leicester 

 or other long-wooled sheep. Nor will the flesh 

 alone be interfered with, but the wool and every 

 feature will become similar to those of the nature 

 of the different localities." This explains how it is 

 that sometimes the Southdown mutton does not 

 retain its marbled character. The characteristic 

 of the Southdown breed is to make an unusually fine 

 quality of mutton with little offal, as the develop- 

 ment of the meaty portions of the carcass is abnormal 

 and the fineness of the structure exceptional. 



Qualities of the fleece. — The wool of the South- 

 down is fine in fiber, and the fleece is unusually dense, 

 though not heavy. The fiber is short and fine and 

 very even in quality over all parts of the body. 

 This trueness in quality in all parts of the fleece is 

 reliable evidence of the carefulness with which they 

 have been bred for decades. Hairiness or the presence 

 of dead hairs in a Southdown fleece is a rarity. 



Attributes as breeders. — As a breed, the South- 

 down has a permanency of character that has re- 

 sulted from the long establishment of the breed. 

 There is a persistency of type among the South- 

 downs that adds greatly to the certainty to which 

 they will reproduce their characteristics, and this in 

 turn insures pleasure and profit in breeding them. 

 In prolificacy and other material qualities, they do 



