64 THE SHEEP AND ITS COUSINS 



at least to my own satisfaction, that four-horned 

 rams are certain, or at any rate nearly certain, to 

 throw four-horned lambs." 



With regard to the sheep of Shetland, two short 

 quotations must suffice. Dr. A. Edmonston^ ob- 

 serves that "the sheep is small, not often horned, 

 ears pointed and erect, face, back, and tail short, 

 fine-boned, long legs ; naturally mild, active, and 

 hardy, and little liable to disease. The colour gene- 

 rally white, sometimes ferruginous, grey, black, or 

 piebald ; the wool very soft and fine." 



Writing in 191 2, Mr. H. J. Elwes ^ observes that 

 " with regard to horns I am not able to say what 

 is the best or the true type of horns in Shetland 

 sheep. Often the rams have none, and these are 

 preferred for their wool by some breeders. Many 

 have short horns ; but in a white ram which I 

 bought in Mid Yell the horns formed a complete 

 circle. Some ewes have short curved horns, but 

 the majority have none, and I never saw any with 

 straight or goat-like horns. A cross with the black- 

 face produces strong horns, and in some cases four 

 are found in rams of this cross." 



In the Orkneys the only islands which appear 

 to retain sheep approximating to the original breed 

 are Flotta and Ronaldshay. Mr. Elwes' states 



* General Observations on Shetland, Edinburgh, 1840. 



• op. cit., p. 5. 

 ' op. cit., p. 7. 



