132 THE SHEEP AND ITS COUSINS 



when these are present in the ewes, they differ from 

 those of the rams merely by their inferior size. The 

 horns themselves are much shorter and thinner 

 than those of merinos, forming only about one-half 

 of a complete spiral turn, with the tips directed 

 forwards and outwards. The moderately long tail, 

 which is clothed with wool, and contains sixteen 

 vertebrae, reaches to the hocks. The wool, which is 

 curly only on the neck and back, is short and thick, 

 although longer on the under-parts and the sides 

 of the tail. The general colour is dirty or yellowish 

 white, although not infrequently dark or blackish 

 brown, and often pied. The horns are yellowish 

 horn-colour and the hoofs black. In many parts 

 of France sheep are kept not only for their wool 

 and flesh, but likewise for the milk of the ewes. 



By crossing with foreign breeds several local 

 strains have been produced from the original French 

 long-tailed sheep. One of the best-known of these 

 is the Berrichonne breed, originally developed on the 

 estates of the Dues de Berri in north-western France, 

 where the soil is mainly of a sandy nature, but 

 subsequently carried to several other parts of the 

 country. It is one of the oldest breeds, and is 

 stated to be the result of crossing the original 

 French sheep with merinos.^ From the former it 

 is distinguished by its superior size and stouter 

 build, as well as by the more convex profile ; and 



' Vide Fitzinger, op. cit., p. 383. 



