The various Bi-ecds of S/iecp in Great Britain. 237 
clean, with stron§:er bone. Tliey are very hardy, tlirive well on 
moderate keep, and are readily prepared for market as tegs, 
weigh ins: on the average 80 lbs. to 100 lbs. each. The meat is 
of excellent quality, and commands the best prices. The ewes 
are prolific and g-ood mothers. The fleece, which is heavier 
than the South Down, is longer and more glossy in the staple 
than the other short- wools, and weighs on the average 7 lbs. 
Ri/eland. — This is one of our oldest breeds, having existed in 
Herefordshire from time immemorial. Its name is derived from 
the light sandy districts (old red sandstone) of Herefordshire, 
which, in early times, were supposed to be (mly suited for the, 
cultivation of rye. It has always had the reputation of producing 
the finest quality of wool grown in this country, approaching 
that of the Merino, to which it bears also a marked resemblance 
in shape.* The breed, however, is of small size, and the fleece 
though fine in quality is very inferior in weight to that of other 
breeds. Many attempts have been made by crossing to remedy 
these defec ts, but the success has not been sufficient to induce a 
perseverance in them, and consequently we find the pure Ryeland 
sheep every day becoming more rare, being replaced by others 
of a more remunerative description. In appearanc e, the Ryeland 
sheep have peculiar characteristics by which they are easily 
recognized. They are without horns, with white faces and legs ; 
the wool growing close over the head and eyes with a tuft on 
the forehead. They are a little low in the shoulder, with a 
round compact body, and particularly large and full haunches 
and stern. They are hardy, and thrive well on moderate keep ; 
feed readily for market, and, when at two and three years ohl, 
they weigh from 50 to 75 lbs. each. The meat is considered of 
good quality, the fat being deposited internally instead of on the 
surface. The ewes are prolific and good mothers ; the young 
* There are sufficient historical grounds for supposing that the points of striking 
resemblance between the Ryeland sheep and the Merino may be traceable to 
actual identity of origin. The coast of South Wales is traditionally said to liave 
been the seat of frequent colonization from Spain. The types of race offer some 
attestation of this in the dark eyes and hair, swart complexion, and small features 
of a large part of the Welsh population, extending from the shore of the Bristol 
Channel, through Monmouthshire, into the south of Herefordshire. But it is also 
■well known that the attraction of the tin-mines in the Scilly Islands, ott' the coast 
of Cornwall, brought repeated visits of the Phoenicians from the Spanish city of 
Cadiz, founded at a period of the most remote antiquity by those enterprising 
navigators of the Old World. The subtending line of the Wtlsh coast would re- 
ceive any vessel drifted by an Atlantic sou'wester beyond its point in those islands, 
and thus be brought into very early visitation direct from the native country of 
the Merino. There is a singular evidence of this intercourse in the existence of a 
remarkable intermixture of words in the Welsli language, identical in form and 
meaning with traces of the Phoenician tongue. The true breed of the Ryeland is 
still, though rarely, to be found in its ancient habitat — the light sandy soils in the 
vicinity of Ross. Though so small, it is the quickest feeder among all our original 
breeds.— C. Wren HosKyNs. 
