1921.] 



The Herd wick Sheep. 



503 



fetlock and covered with strong bristly hair, and the feet are 

 wide and white. Especially in one flock the presence of an extra 

 or 14th rib is often found. 



The rams are generally horned; of 570 examined, only 4^ per 

 cent, were hornless, and some of these latter had rudimentary 

 horns. The ewes are always hornless. 



The Fells, the habitat of this breed, are high up, 3,000 feet 

 or more, steep, hard, dry, and poor grazing. On these Fells 

 perhaps no other breed of British live stock could exist, yet 

 except w^hen the snow is too deep or is frozen for a lengthy 

 period the Herdwicks receive no hand feeding. The winter 

 death rate is high, but only the existence of such a breed allows 

 those poor heights to be exploited. Bracken covers the Fells, 

 and maggots are a serious summer cause of wastage. 



A Typical Tenancy. — Some of the Fells have recently 

 been fenced, but generally the Herdwick farm is unfenced, the 

 grazing rights being described in the lease as " unlimited Fell." 

 This fact dictates, though the Feadal system may have had its 

 influence, the unique custom, still the general rule, that a 

 regular breeding flock of sheep, the " heaf (heath) going flock " is 

 let along with the land. The flock, hke the land, is the property 

 of the landlord. The tenant finds security for redelivery of this 

 flock at the end of the tenancy. The let stipulates that "the 

 heaf going must be maintained," and a like number of sheep 

 of condition, quahty, age and sex be handed over to the incoming 

 tenant. Oversmen act for both parties at the turnover, and the 

 landlord may pay for " betterment " or the tenant for 

 " worsement." 



A typical heaf going flock would consist of the following sheep, 

 as in a place which was advertised last year : — 

 200 Wethers : 80 4-yeiir-ol(l 120 3-year-old. 

 300 Ewes. 



250 Hoggs, half male, half female. 

 150 Twiiiters, i.e., two winters, half male, half female. 

 3 Kams, 



Total 903 Sheep. 



Heaf going flocks vary from 50 to 2,000 sheep. The 69 flocks 

 registered last year in the Herdwick Sheep Breeders' Association 

 Flock Book shows an average ewe stock of 160 ewes. These 

 represent the hill farms, but many much smaller flocks are kept 

 as part of the smaller stock raising hillside farms. 



Especially on the fenced places the custom is growing of 

 keeping all " gimmer," i.e., female hoggs. 



