MEDIUM-TAILED BRITISH BREEDS 89 



Pennine chain of the north of England, in parts of 

 which they are still bred, their real home at the 

 present day is the Highlands of Scotland, especially 

 in the counties of Perth and Dumbarton, where 

 they are known to have been in existence for more 

 than a century and a quarter. They extend, how- 

 ever, all through the Highlands, from the Grampians 

 to the Pentland Firth, and have likewise made their 

 way into the Hebrides, Shetlands, and Orkneys. 

 In England their range includes, or, at all events, 

 formerly included, the higher mountains of Cumber- 

 land and Westmoreland and the heathery moors of 

 Yorkshire and Lancashire. As to their origin and 

 relationship nothing definite is known. 



The extreme hardihood of the black-faced High- 

 land, and its capacity for enduring the inclement 

 winter climate of the mountain districts of North 

 Britain even better than the Cheviot, gave it, when 

 once introduced, a foothold which it has ever since 

 maintained. In addition to their capacity for with- 

 standing exposure to biting blasts and severe cold 

 and for thriving on a scant supply of poor food, 

 these sheep are valued for the excellence of their 

 mutton, which is of fine quality and unsurpassed 

 flavour. The wool, on the other hand, is not of a 

 high grade, either in quality or quantity ; the fleece 

 of the ewe, when unwashed, averaging only from 

 3!^ to 4^ lbs. in weight. 



Although superior in point of size to the Shet- 



