MEDIUM-TAILED CONTINENTAL BREEDS 123 



made to collect a flock surreptitiously. When col- 

 lected, this flock was driven through Portugal and 

 shipped at Lisbon, whence it arrived in due course 

 at Portsmouth. When, however, these sheep, 

 which had been collected carelessly and indis- 

 criminately from various owners, were received at 

 the royal farm at Kew, they were found to be 

 much too mixed and not of sufficiently good quality 

 for the purposes of experimental breeding. In 

 1 79 1 application was therefore made to the King 

 of Spain for permission to obtain a selected flock, 

 which was at once granted ; and eventually a small 

 flock of negrette merinos — the finest of all the 

 Spanish breeds — reached Windsor, whence they 

 were transferred to Kew, where experiments were 

 made in naturalising them, and crossing them with 

 British breeds. For a time all seemed to go well, 

 and a sale of these sheep was held in 18 10, at 

 which good prices were realised. Soon afterwards, 

 however, when a Merino Society, with Sir Joseph 

 Banks as president, had been established, these 

 sheep began to decline in favour with English 

 farmers — possibly on account of mismanagement — 

 and merino-rearing was practically abandoned. 

 After the death of George III. the remnant of 

 the royal flock came into the hands of Mr. T. B. 

 Sturgeon, of South Ockenden Hall, Essex, by 

 whose family the breed was maintained at least 

 down to the year 1885. 



