448 Breeds of Sheep best adapted to different Localities. 



profitless kind of animal. Amongst sheep we find this form 

 amongst the Welsh mountain, the Herdwicks, and black-faced 

 sheep. The Southdowns more or less partake of this form in the 

 unimproved state. It must, however, be always kept in view, that 

 though the above described sheep have not the quality of fatten- 

 ing early, they possess what is particularly desirable in order to 

 fit them for their natural habitat, namely, great hardiness, powers 

 of endurance and activity, which combination of properties 

 enables them in their respective localities to obtain a subsistence 

 and make a return to their proprietors where a finer kind of 

 sheep would not only be unprofitable, but would most probably 

 perish. 



It is well known that all our improved breeds of animals are 

 remarkable for their wide chests and deep flanks ; the former 

 appearance is usually considered an indication of large sized 

 lungs; such, however, is not the fact. The attention of agricul- 

 turists was first drawn to this circumstance by Dr. Lyon Playfair, 

 in the course of one of his admirable lectures, given during 

 December, 1843, to the members of the Royal Agricultural 

 Society of England, in which he remarks on this subject — ■ 



"Now let us take two well-marked breeds and compare them. The 

 Leicester breed of sheep have round, broad, and capacious chests ; while 

 the Southdowns have, comparatively speaking, narrow shoulders and 

 breasts. But an inspection at the butcher's shop shows that the lungs of 

 the Leicester breed are small, firm, and compact in their texture, while 

 the lungs of the Southdowns are larger and coarser." 



It was further stated that the habits of these breeds show this., 

 as — 



" the Leicester sheep cannot inflate its lungs like the Southdown, and 

 pants for want of breath." 



It is also observed, that according to the aptitude of different 

 animals to lay on fat is the relative size of their lungs, viz. — pig, 

 sheep, ox, horse, &c. A further comparison may be made 

 between the wild boar, with his high shoulders and narrow but 

 deep chest, and the modern improved race of pigs, with their 

 broad, capacious chest ; also between the improved Leicester and 

 the Herd wick, the Arabian and the Flanders cart-horse. The 

 racehorse and the greyhound are probably the largest consumers 

 of food as compared with other animals of the same races, and 

 these are remarkable for their deep chests and large lungs, 

 accompanied by the pinched-up flanks already noticed. From 

 the preceding illustrations it may fairly be inferred that the 

 broad-chested and square-formed animal is naturally adapted, 

 from its weaker lungs, to a pasture sufficiently rich that it can 

 obtain its food without much exercise : thus contributing in three 

 ways to the desirable quality of fattening early from a small amount 



