154 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[Sheep_ 



extraction, being of the old Ttyland or Cotswold 

 stock. Stow and Balcer, in their Chronicles, say, 

 " This yere (1464) King Edward IV. gave a licence 

 to pass over certain Cotteswolde sheep into Spain." 

 Baker adds, " King Edward IV. enters into a league 

 with King John of Arragon, to whom he sent a score 

 of Costal ewes and lour lambs." 



There are other breeds of sheep in Spain besides 

 the Merinos, more or less intermixed with them ; 

 but of the pure race it is calculated that there are 

 about ten millions, which, excepting perhaps the 

 flocks of Leon and Estremadura, are migratory, 

 and termed transhumantes, being; periodically con- 

 ducted from one part of the country to another, and 

 back again. 



These transhumantes are divided into flocks, 

 which, under the care of a mayoral, or chief 

 shepherd, and assistants, migrate from the moun- 

 tains of the north to the plains of the south in 

 winter, and return back to the mountains in summer. 

 The flocks follow the shepherds, who lead the way, 

 and direct the length and speed of the journey: 

 a few wethers, perfectly tamed, tread in the foot- 

 steps of the conducter, and the rest follow in due 

 order; a powerful breed of dogs accompany the 

 shepherds in order to defend the flock from wolves, 

 and a few mules carry their provision and other 

 necessaries, as well as materials for making up the 

 fold at night. 



This migratory system is regulated by a tribunal 

 termed Mesta, which has been of old standing ; it 

 can be traced back to the middle of the fourteenth 

 century, at which period definite laws with respect 

 to it were enacted, by which persons were pro- 

 hibited from travelling along the course of the 

 route pursued by the flocks while the sheep were in 

 motion ; it also established a right to graze on all 

 the open and common land that lay in the way ; and, 

 moreover, it claimed a path ninety yards wide, 

 through all the enclosed and cultivated country. 

 The journey taken by the Merino flocks is upwards 

 of four hundred miles, which they accomplish in six 

 or seven weeks, and the same time is spent in re- 

 tracing the route, so that in every year about four- 

 teen weeks (or nearly a quarter) are spent in these 

 toilsome journeys. Popular prejudice in Spain at- 

 tributes the superiority of the Merino wool to this 

 practice — a practice injurious to the agriculturist, 

 through whose corn-lands and vineyards the flocks 

 pass, and injurious to the keepers of stationary 

 sheep ; inasmuch as the common and pasture lands 

 are completely eaten bare by the multitudes that 

 slowly pass over them, while wilfully, or through 

 carelessness, serious damage is done to farms, plan- 

 tations, fields, and vineyards, for which no redress 

 can be obtained. 



It is, however, much to be doubted that the Me- 

 rino wool owes its superiority, as is asserted by the 

 Spaniards, to this system. The stationary Merinos 

 in Leon and Estremadura produce wool equal in 

 quality to that of the migratory flocks, and these 

 are again exceeded by some of the German Merinos, 

 which never travel ; so that at least the advantages 

 of the Mesta system have been overrated, while 

 the evils resulting to the flocks from fatigue, and 

 the injury done to the lands in their course, have 

 been treated with indifference. 



In Spain, as in the East, from the earliest times, 

 the shepherd leads his flock. In Italy, in Greece, 

 and some parts of France, it is still the custom ; and 

 the reed-pipe of the shepherd may be heard calling 

 the flock together, or the troop seen following him 

 .as he leads them to their evening folding-place. 



In Greece it is usual, as formerly, to give names 

 to the sheep, which they know and will answer, 

 coming to the shepherd when called. Fig. 683 re- 

 presents the pleasing spectacle of sheep thus con- 

 ducted, and on terms of familiarity with their leader, 

 whose voice they obey, though " they know not the 

 voice of strangers." 



Reverting from foreign sheep to those of our own 

 island, we may remind the reader that we possess 

 several different breeds, distinguished by different 

 qualities, both as regards form and size, and the 

 characters of the wool. These breeds, or varieties, 

 .are the result of skilful treatment, of pasturage, and 

 judicious crossings. 



We may divide them into three groups: the 

 short-woolled, the middle-woolled, and the long- 

 woolled breeds. 



The short-woolled breed formerly included many 

 varieties, now, from the improvement of their fleece, 

 to be ranked under the second division, as the 

 South-Down, Norfolk, and Cheviot sheep. It is at 

 present, however, represented by the Anglo-Merino 

 race, to which the sheep of New Holland and Van 

 Diemen's Land also belong. The average length of 

 the wool is about two inches and a half, and its tex- 

 ture is peculiarly fine, soft, and even silky. Short 

 wool is used in the manufacture of delicate and 

 beautiful fabrics ; it is, however, generally mixed 

 with wool of a longer staple. The Saxony wool, so 

 valued for its fineness, comes under the present 



division : it is shorter and finer than the Australian 

 wool, but less silky, the serrations of the fibre being 

 more numerous, and disposing it to felt more closely. 

 Hence Saxony wool is the most valuable for the 

 manufacture of fine broad-cloth. 



The average weight of the fleece of the Australian 

 short-woolled sheep is from three pounds to three 

 and a half; sometimes it amounts to five. 



" There is no wool," says Mr. Hughes, " which 

 spins so well as the Australian ; large importations 

 are annually sent to the British market, at an aver- 

 age of 2s. 6d. per pound. In 1833 the quantity im- 

 ported from New South Wales and Van Diemen's 

 Land amounted to 3,516,869 pounds." 



It has been the object of the British wool-grower 

 to convert, the short-woolled breeds into a race with 

 wool which, while its length is increased, preserves 

 its original fineness and delicacy. Thus we have 

 now, in place of the old short-woolled breeds, a mid- 

 dle-woolled race of great value, and of which the 

 fleece is in the highest request. Fig. 684 represents 

 several examples of breeds of this race : a, the 

 Welsh sheep ; b, the South-Down sheep ; c, the 

 Dorset sheep; d,the Black-faced Cheviot sheep; 

 e, the Norfolk sheep ; f, the Ryland sheep. 



The middle-woolled sheep "include the South- 

 Do wn, the Dorset, the Norfolk, the Suffolk, and the 

 Cheviot breeds, together with several others, and 

 which were formerly short-woolled. The length of 

 the staple is, on the average, three and a half or four 

 inches. 



That the improvement of the old short-woolled 

 sheep into a middle-woolled race is an advantage in 

 every sense, especially as the short wool used ex- 

 clusively in the manufacture of fine cloths is abun- 

 dantly supplied from foreign " growers " (as the term 

 is), no one can doubt. Of this race, one of the first 

 is the improved South-Down breed depasturing on 

 the long range of chalky hills extending from the 

 sea-coast of the Isle of Thanet, and the cliffs of 

 Dover, through Kent and Sussex. Formerly this 

 breed, as Mr. Ellman states (' Library of Agricul- 

 tural Knowledge '), was a small size, far from possess- 

 ing a good shape, and late before they were capable 

 of being fattened ; now, however, they are greatly 

 improved both in shape and constitution. " They 

 are smaller in bone, equally hard, with a greater dis- 

 position to fatten, and much heavier in carcass when 

 fat. They used seldom to fatten till they were four 

 years old, but it would be a rare sight to see a pen of 

 South-Down wethers at market more than two years 

 old, and many are killed before they reach that 

 age." The South-Down sheep is in fact the model of 

 what a hill sheep ought to be, and the flesh in fine- 

 ness of grain and flavour is peculiarly excellent. The 

 wool is of a very useful quality, but is both larger in 

 fibre and' less numerously serrated than the short 

 Saxony, and does not therefore possess such a felting 

 power; hence it is rarely used in the manufacture of 

 fine broad-cloths. Still from its fineness and felting 

 powers, compared with the wool of many other 

 middle-woolled bi'eeds, it is highly esteemed — and 

 for flannels and worsted goods in general is exten- 

 sively employed. In Surrey, Hampshire, and Berk- 

 shire, the South-Downs have either superseded or 

 been blended with the old short-woolled sheep. 



Dorsetshire possesses its own breed, encroached 

 upon, however, by the South-Downs. The males 

 have large, spirally-twisted horns, and the females 

 have also horns, but much smaller than those of the 

 male. Neither the wool nor the flesh equals that 

 of the South-Down breed. The old Norfolk breed 

 of middle-woolled sheep is very valuable, but it is 

 rapidly giving way to the South-Down. The rams 

 are distinguished by long spiral horns, those of the 

 ewes and wethers being smaller; the flesh is re- 

 markably fine, and the wool delicate, and felts well. 

 The figure of these sheep is tall and slender; the 

 legs are long, and the face and limbs black or mot- 

 tled. The general aspect is wild and animated. 

 This breed thrives on the coarsest pasturage. The 

 wool is not used in fine broad-cloths, but. is used in 

 such as are of inferior quality, and in woollen stuffs 

 generally. 



In Suffolk the South-Down breed prevails. The 

 black-faced and horned sheep of Westmoreland, 

 Cumberland, and various parts of Scotland, as 

 Lanarkshire, belong to the middle-woolled section. 

 With respect to their wool, these sheep do not rank 

 high ; it exceeds in length that of the middle-woolled 

 breeds generally, but is harsh and coarse ; to com- 

 pensate for this these sheep are very hardy, have 

 an admirable contour, and the flesh in fineness of 

 grain and delicacy of flavour equals either the South- 

 Down or the Welsh Mutton. 



The Cheviot breed is very distinct from the com- 

 mon mountain or black-faced race, with which it is 

 on all sides immediately surrounded, these two 

 races dividing the north between them. 



The Cheviot breed is hornless, and the general 

 contour is excellent ; the shoulders are full, the 

 body round and long, and the limbs small-boned. 

 The mutton is in great esteem ; and the wethers 



average sixteen, eighteen, or even twenty pounds 

 weight per quarter. It appears from the testimony 

 of practical farmers, that the attention paid to the 

 improvement of this breed, in reference to the con- 

 dition of the carcass, has been followed by a dete- 

 rioration in the quality of the wool, which is said to 

 have been formerly capable of entering into the 

 manufacture of fine cloths. Still, however, the 

 wool is good, though inferior to that of the South- 

 Downs. It far surpasses that of the black-faced 

 breed, and as the Cheviot race is equally hardy and 

 as capable of sustaining cold as the former, and is 

 content with the alpine plants of the bleak hills and 

 mountains, it will soon supersede the black-faced 

 breed, as it has already done in the forest of Ettrick 

 and the whole of Selkirkshire, and even Sutherland. 

 The foreknowledge which these sheep possess of 

 approaching storms, and the assiduity with which, 

 while the shepherd dreams of no impending evil, 

 they will seek a place of shelter and security, are 

 curious traits in their history. It is thus that they 

 often warn the shepherd, by the display of this 

 instinct, wisely implanted within them, and lead him 

 to add his precautions to those which they have 

 themselves adopted. In spite, however, of the vigi- 

 lance of the shepherd and the instinct of the sheep, 

 many often perish, buried beneath towering snow- 

 drifts, and sometimes whole flocks are lost. It often 

 happens that sufficient shelter cannot be obtained, 

 the flock crowd together for the purpose of mutual 

 warmth, and are soon covered beneath the snow. 

 If this does not occur, the lambs, unable to endure 

 the severity of the storm, perish, and the mothers, 

 bewildered, wander about seeking their offspring, 

 till they themselves sink exhausted with their efforts 

 and distress. With but little food sheep can re- 

 main for many days buried beneath the snow ; but 

 where this cannot be obtained, the period of endu- 

 rance is proportioned to the strength of the animal's 

 constitution and the intensity of the cold. In the 

 winter of 1800, a sheep near Kendal was buried 

 in the snow for thirty-three days and nights, without 

 the possibility of moving, and yet survived ; and a 

 sheep in Cumberland was buried for thirty-eight 

 days. When extricated it was found to have eaten 

 the wool oft' both its shoulders, and its frame was 

 reduced almost to a skeleton. By due attention, 

 however, it gradually recovered. 



Having thus specified seme of the more important 

 of the middle-woolled breeds of sheep in our island, 

 most, of them, or all, derived from the old short- 

 woolled breeds by a system of judicious manage- 

 ment, we shall now take a hasty survey of the long- 

 woolled breeds. (Fig. 685.) 



As we have already stated, the middle-wool varies 

 in different breeds, in fineness and in its power of 

 felting. Long wool is much more uniform, and for 

 this reason, that it is the produce of the Leicester 

 race, and of races with which the Leicester race 

 has become completely intermingled. '* All long- 

 woolled sheep," says Mr. Youatt, " both in appear- 

 ance and in fleece, are becoming one family." 

 Long wool, which has lately very much improved, it 

 being the aim of the breeder to render it finer (at 

 the expense of its length, which it will bear), is 

 characterised by strength and transparency, but it is 

 deficient in the power of felting. Its average length 

 is about eight inches. This applies more particu- 

 larly to that sort called the long-combing wool; 

 there is, however, a variety of long wool which 

 approximates to the middle wool, and termed the 

 short-combing wool, which is somewhat shorter 

 than the other, finer, and more disposed to felt. 

 The long-combing wool is used in the manufacture 

 of hard yarn and for purposes in which length and 

 firmness are essential ; the other for stuffs of a 

 softer texture, and for hosiery goods. We have 

 alluded to the Leicester breed as the typical exam- 

 ple of the long-fleeced races, but it is to be observed 

 that this breed is an improvement upon the heavy, 

 ill-made, and coarse-woolled race, formerly spread 

 over all our midland counties. Lincolnshire also 

 had a breed of sheep celebrated for their fine long- 

 wool : but this breed, defective in form, and yield- 

 ing mutton of inferior quality, is now greatly im- 

 proved, and in fact is blended with the new Leices- 

 ter sheep. 



It is not within our province to follow out the 

 changes which have already taken and are still 

 taking place among the long-woolled breeds of sheep 

 for which our island is expressly celebrated, and in 

 which neither France nor Belgium can at all com- 

 pete with the English sheep-graziers. To those who 

 wish to gain an acquaintance with this part of the 

 subject, we recommend Mr. Youatt's valuable work 

 on sheep, where they will find much information and 

 abundant reference to various writers on agricul- 

 tural topics. 



There, is, however, one question which suggests 

 itself, and which we cannot omit to notice. As far 

 as records serve us, it would seem that a long- 

 woolled and a short-woolled (now middle-woolled) 

 race of sheep have tenanted our island from the 



