SHEEP, 



them highly beneficial, while others llrongly reprobate 

 them. 



Delamtre Forejl Breeder Variety. — This is a breeder fort 

 of (lieep, which is found about the foreft of that name, in 

 the county of Chcfter. In point of (hape, the animals are 

 fold not to be unlike thofe of a diminutive Norfolk fort, 

 having the faces and legs black, grey, brown, and white, 

 generally with fmall horns. The breed is fmall, the wethers 

 not weighing more tlian from 8 lbs. to 12 lbs. the quarter, 

 at four years old. The mutton is in common much 

 efteemed, and the wool is valuable, felling about the year 

 l8c8 at 2/. I2J. bd. the ftone of 20 lbs; the fleeces are, 

 however, fmall, often not weighing more than 2 lbs. The 

 wool is commonly purchafed by the manufafturers of cloth 

 in Yorkfliire. 



The Herd'w'ich Breed or Variety — This is a breed which 

 is charafterized by Mr. CuUey by having no horns, and 

 the face and legs being fpeckled ; the larger the portion of 

 white, with fewer black fpots, the purer the breed ; legs 

 fine, Imall, clean ; the lambs well covered, when dropped ; 

 the weight per quarter, in the ewes, from 6 lbs. to 8 lbs. ; 

 in the wethers of four years and a half old, from 9 lbs. to 

 12 lbs. ; the wool fhort, thick, and matted in the fleece. 

 It is a breed peculiar to the elevated mountainous traft of 

 country at the head of the river Eflv, and Duddon in Cum- 

 berland, where they are let in herds, at an annual fum : 

 whence the name. At prefent they are faid to poflefs the 

 property of being extremely hardy in conltitution, and ca- 

 pable of fupporting thcmfelves on the rocky bare moun- 

 tains, with the trifling fupport of a little hay in the winter 

 feafon ; icratchmg down to the heath, during the fnows, 

 for their fubfiftence ; and by their conftantly moving about, 

 not being liable to be drifted over by fnow. From the na- 

 ture of the climate, the ewes produce their lambs late, and 

 are generally kept as long as they produce lambs. But 

 the wether ttock is ufually difpofed of from the mountains, 

 without being put in the paitures, at from, four to five years 

 old. It is obferved, that the fleece in this breed is finer 

 tiian tiiat of the Heath fort, but coarfer than any of the fhort- 

 woolled breeds. It is a breed that (lands in need of a crofs 

 witli fome of the finer-woolled breeds, and the Spanilh has 

 been fuggelted as proper for the purpofe. The property of 

 tiic flocks, as well as of tlie mount.-\in3, is in lord Muncailer, 

 tlie lord of the foil ; and the fanner of the principal flock is 

 now Mr. Tyfon, whofc family, it is faid, have inhabited 

 tiiis wild and fcqueflered fpot through four centuries. Mr. 

 Tyfon is a tup breeder, and foils a number of Hcrdwick 

 tups yearly, fome at feveral guineas eacli, to the adjoining 

 diltrifts, where their known hardy qualities are defirable. 



The Cheviot Breed or Variety. — This breed of (heep is 

 known by the want of horns ; by the face and legs being 

 motUy white, and the eyes lively and prominent ; the belly 

 long ; little depth in the breait ; narrow there and on the 

 chine ; clean, fine, im.ill-boned legs, and thin pelts ; the 

 weight ^<T quarter, when fat, from 12 lbs. to iSlbs. ; the 

 wool partly fine, and partly cnarlc. Mr. Cullcy confidcrs 

 this as a valuable breed of mountain flieej), where the 

 herbage is chiefly of the natural grafs kind, which is the cafe 

 in the filu-ilions where thefe are found the molt prevalent, 

 and from which they have obtained their name. It is a 

 breed which has undergone much improvement within thefe 

 few years, in refpeft to its form and other qualities, and 

 has been lately introduced into the moll nortlicrn diflrifts ; 

 and from its hardinefs, its affording a portion of fine wool, 

 and being quick in fattening, it is likely to anfwer well in 

 fuch filuations. The Spanilh and South Down have been 

 advifed as proper crotfea for this fort of fliccp. 



And it is obferved by the writer of the Argylelhire Re- 

 port, that the Cheviot fliccp are in every refpeft fuperior to 

 the black-faced kind, and found to be equally fit for a 

 mountainous fituatioii. They are hardy, fine-wooUed, and 

 vvcU-fliaped. They are long-bodied and long-limbed, which 

 fits them for climbing deep mountains, and for travelling, 

 either for feekmg their food, or going to a diftant market. 

 Their fleece, too, is finer, clofer, and warmer. They have 

 every property that (hould be fougiit in a mountain Iheep, 

 and accordingly they have been found to thrive in every 

 part of the Highlands in which they have been tried, and 

 are faid to be lefs fubjedl to difeafes than the black-faced 

 kind. Some of them have been lately introduced into the 

 county by the duke of Argyle, and by Mr. Campbell of 

 Auch, in the highell parts of Glenurchay, and found to 

 ani wer exceedingly well. And lord Breadalbane, a few years 

 ago, made a prefent of fome Cheviot wedders to feveral of 

 his tenants in Glenurchay, in order to try how they would 

 fare on the fame pallure with the black-faced kind ; and 

 the writer was informed by (ome of the llore-mafters, that 

 they perceived no difference in their thriving. Indeed no 

 part of this county is more inclement than that from which 

 they came, where the hills are fometimes covered with fnow 

 for three or four months in a year, and where many of the 

 lower walks confift of peat-bogs and deep morafles ; fo that 

 with us their fituation would be mended, a circumftance 

 which will always cnfure fuccefs. 



It is likewife itated in the twelfth volume of the Sta- 

 tiftical Account of Scotland, that the following experiment, 

 made in the parifli of Barr, in Ayrfliire, fliews the com- 

 parative hardinefs and value of the Cheviot breed. In 

 June, 1792, a ram and two fcore of ewe hogs, of the 

 Cheviot breed, were put upon one of the higheft and coldell 

 farms in the parifh. The harvell was wet, the winter and 

 fpring ilormy, and the lofs of the native fliccp, through po- 

 verty and difeafe, Vi'as confiderable ; yet all thefe, though 

 ftrangers, and in fuch a fituation, did well. The wool of 

 the native flieep, taking ten fleeces to the ftone (24 lbs.), 

 fold at yj. dd. ; the wool of the Cheviot kind, taking only 

 feven and a half to the Hone, fold at ijj. The profit here 

 was great ; but how much more, if the wool had fetched 

 its real value of zQs. the ilone ! And in " The Obferva- 

 tions on different Breeds of Sheep," it is Hated that in 

 1792, the Cheviot wool fold from \%s. to 20X. the fmeared, 

 and from 20J. to 22.f. the white; from fix to eight fleeces 

 of the firlt, and from eight to nine of the lail, going to the 

 ftone. Some went as high as 23J. ; and it is thought it will 

 foon be improved fo as to fetch 30J., if not 40J. Draft 

 ewes fold from 12^. to i6j., and three-years old wedders 

 from i8x. to 22^. In Etterick, Ewefdale, and Liddef- 

 dale, they are now converting their flocks as quickly as 

 poffible into the Cheviot breed. The Roxburgh Agricul- 

 tural Report alfo fays, that Liddefdale is the worft dillridl, 

 yet the Cheviot breed thrive in it. The writer of the firft 

 of thefe Reports remarks, that it is difficult for thofe who 

 have already got another kind to change the breed ; but 

 new beginners ouglit undoubtedly to (lock with the Cheviot 

 kind. It is faid that the Yorklhire graziers have a preju- 

 dice againft this kind ; probably bccaufe they would then 

 have more rivals in the trade, which is now in few hands ; a* 

 thecarcafe, and not the wool, is the principal objeA of at- 

 tention. Whatever there may be in this, the introduftion 

 of the Cheviot, which would treble the price of wool, would 

 more than balance it. And he add.', from the fame volume 

 of the Statiftical Account of Scotland, that even they who 

 have another ftock, and cannot conveniently change it, 

 might at Icall crofs it with the Cheviot breed, whicli might 

 3 H 2 br 



