Beport of the Stewards of Stock at the Worcester Shoiv. 473 
would correspond with its outer garment better judges than my- 
self can decide ; but, whilst fat overloads and injures our short- 
horns and other horned stock on the one hand, on the other the 
sheep has not only fat but wool of an indefinite age to disguise 
his deficiencies and to heighten his graces. I should think that 
many of the sheep had never been truly and fairly shorn, and 
this was more especially the case, as it seemed to me, in the 
Oxfordshire Down classes : and I could not help regretting that 
the close-shorn, well-framed sheep of Mr. Charles Howard were 
not thought good enough for a prize. This delusive shearing 
belongs more or less to every class, many of the Cotswolds and 
Shropshires being glaringly conspicuous. The Shropshire and 
Oxfordshire Downs, though thoroughly useful sheep, have not 
got that degree of uniformity which makes judging easy, and 
until there is more fixity of type complaints are sure to arise 
as to judging. The Judges, on the present occasion, seem to 
have gone mainly for size, and, I was assured by some Shrop- 
shire breeders, had mistaken the type. Among the Oxfordshire 
Downs there was still more variet^' of appearance. 
" In the Leicester Aged class, I could not help rejoicing to 
see the blood of the late Sir Tatton Sykes holding its own, as the 
first prize sheep was by a ram bred by him. The local prizes 
did not produce much competition, although some of the moun- 
tain sheep were very good. Mr. Peel's pen of Lonk shearlings 
was especially so. Looking to the great extent of mountain- 
ranges fitted for sheep, I think the Society should do more 
towards the improvement of this breed ; and I trust that New- 
castle may show us what the Cheviots can do in competition 
with other mountain sheep. But certainly, if the Lonks be as 
hardy as they are good, they must be the most valuable sheep for 
the hills that we have at present. Sheep which at 14 months 
old will clip 10 lbs. of wool, and which are also full of good 
mutton when fat, are dangerous competitors far the Southdowns 
and other lowland breeds. The above clip only applies to sheep 
like the Show sheep. The average clip of Mr. Peel's flock this 
year was 6 lbs., sold at 50s. the tod, and the breeding ewes and 
shearling rams ran on the hill-side pastures as they liked. His 
prize shearlings at Battersea clipped over 10 lbs. of wool each. 
The wether lambs of this year made 15s. each in the middle of 
June. In the prize pen are twin sisters, and perhaps the finest 
of the lot, to use the shepherd's phrase, is " a twin of three," the 
two brothers having been sold as tups. No doubt the mountain 
sheep in the Show-yard have had their share of the good things 
of this life, and probably done as well as the successful sheep of 
a noble lord, who told me that his sheep had ' everything they 
wanted — mutton-chops, if they liked.' But, however well kept, 
Lonks are, I think, a class of sheep which may very much im- 
