Ri.<o and Frofjrcss of the Leicester Breed of Sheep. 349 
n;\live Shetland cwcs, with tlieir 21b. flpoco, and thrrc-ycar old 
mutton, at 4 lb. a quarter, have "nicked" so cli'ectually with 
rams of the breed that the produce is bought up readily by a 
certain class of dealers for the South. It has also had its full 
share in " improving- away " the native Orkney sheep, which 
were such connoisseurs in sea-weed, and such a puzzle to the 
cottiers upon " sheep run day." Both these Island groups send 
Leicester-Cheviots or " half-bred s " to the Aberdeen and Edin- 
burgh markets, and some of the largest flock-masters in tlie 
Orkneys have a Cheviot and a half-bred side of tlie hill, and 
put all the older ewes to the Leicester. It is nearly fifty years 
since the latter were introduced to Caithness by Mr. Horne of 
Scouthal, but the lack of draining and enclosures was against 
them. Border size is a great object with the Caithness ram- 
breeders, two or three of whom are amongst the highest bidders 
round the Kelso rings. Some of the farmers in that district 
return the compliment by buying annually several score of half- 
bred wether hoggs at the Georgemas tryst. The three-parts 
bred "Caithness gimmers" have also become so popular, on 
account of their length and hardihood, in Morayshire and other 
great feeding counties, that the breeders now make a point of 
separating them from the wether hoggs when they are pitched 
for sale. The clayslate rock, which lies very close to the surface 
in many parts of Caithness, is said to communicate a peculiarly 
lustrous quality to the fleeces, and the wool commands quite as 
high a price as the East Lothian in the auction marts. Kelso 
rams are used to the Cheviot "cast ewes" in Easter Ross ; and 
on tlie fine turnip soils of Morayshire, between the Findhorn 
and the Spey, they and the English Leicester have quite super- 
seded the Southdown as a cross, both on the score of wool and 
climate. Banffshire stood second a few years since in a very 
large class of shearlings at Kelso, with a ram of Border upon 
Sanday and Wiley blood. In the "twenty parishes of Kin- 
cai'dineshire " the Leicester is used extensively, as in Captain 
Barclay's and Mr. Boswell's day, to Cheviots, half-breds, and 
blackfaces. It is also bred and used to the same class of ewes 
in the Kinnaird valley, and the dvi^eliers near the Seidlaw Hills 
in Forfarshire remember how Keillor Watson " kept his " Bake- 
wells " under a 500 yards altitude on their sides, and the South- 
downs on the ranges above. On the braes of the Carse of 
Govv'rie, Lord Kinnaird has had Leicesters for more than thirty 
years, and puts them to Oxford-down ewes, besides keeping up 
a pure flock. Perthshire can also draw its ram supplies from 
Strathallan Castle and Keir. Lord Stratballan's go principally 
to the Ochil Hill farmers, who put them to Cheviot and black- 
lace ewes, and sell the lambs to the farmers in the valley ; 
Avhile the Keir rams, Avhich are principally of Border with a 
