SOFT-WOOLLED SHEEP OF WALES. 
PLATE III. 
1. EWE of the Soft-Woolled Breed, from the Slaty Mountains of South Wales. 
2. Old Radnor EWE and LAMB. 
The most characteristic race of Sheep in Wales is that which has been termed the Soft-woolled breed. It may receive this 
name on account of the quality of its wool, which, though mixed with hairs, is much less so than that of the wilder breeds referred 
to, and has a softness and tenuity of filament which peculiarly fit it for the making of flannels, one of the staple native manufac¬ 
tures of the Principality. It may, however, be more appropriately termed the White-nosed Breed, from a character which dis¬ 
tinguishes it from every other in Wales. 
This race of Sheep is spread over the whole of Wales, and is truly the distinctive breed of the country. The animals are of 
small size, usually weighing from 4 lb. to 6 lb. the quarter, when grown and fat. They are of the long-tailed variety of Sheep, thus 
agreeing with the Sheep of the Celtic nations of Europe, and differing from those of the Scandinavians. The males have horns, 
which are thin, slightly curved, and bent backwards ; the females are generally destitute of horns, and sometimes the males. Their 
noses are white, or pink-coloured. They have lengthened hair beneath the throat like a beard. Their figure is very slender, and 
their posterior limbs long, as if to fit them for vaulting as well as running. Their neck is thin, and thrown back in the manner 
of the Antelope or Deer. The fur of the face and body is white, but sometimes, as in almost all breeds of Sheep, individuals 
wholly brown or black present themselves. 
These Sheep have all the wild characters of a mountain breed. They are of wandering habits, and range from pasture to 
pasture ; they prefer the plants of mountains to the more succulent and nutritive herbage of plains ; they delight to browse on the 
leaves of the ivy and on the shoots of bitter shrubs, and they rise upon their hinder legs to reach them after the manner of the Goat. 
They are fond of taking their station on elevated points, and making their way amongst crags and cliffs. They are wary and timid, 
and, like the wilder Sheep of the mountain summits, give notice of approaching danger by a signal. They steal down from the 
hills at night, and make inroads into the fields of wheat and other green plants. They are with difficulty confined by artificial 
barriers, leaping over walls, and making their way through the interstices of hedges; nay, sometimes they have been known, 
when driven to a distance, to escape from the vigilance of their keepers and regain their native mountains. They are driven 
to London and other markets of consumption, being generally kept by the way to be fattened in the richer pastures. Their mut¬ 
ton, like that of all the Sheep of Wales, is excellent, and, when fat, brings a high price. Many carcasses are sold in London 
under the name of Welsh mutton, when in truth they are the produce of crosses of different kinds. 
The wool weighs from 1 lb. to 2 lb. the fleece; it is never free from hairs or kemps ; it possesses the character of long wool, 
and is, therefore, suited for the making of flannels, hose, and similar loose fabrics, rather than cloths ; nevertheless all the home 
stuffs for country use were formerly made of this and the other kinds of native wool. The Welsh long preserved the simplicity of 
ancient manners, and manufactured their woollen stuffs at home. The cheapness of mechanical labour is rapidly putting an end 
to this domestic manufacture; to the increase, doubtless, of the resources of the country, though not perhaps to the advancement 
of rural industry and happiness. A singular character exists in the case of this race of sheep. The wool of the neck tends to fall 
off before that of the body, and hence it is a frequent practice to clip the wool of the neck and face before winter. 
The Sheep of Anglesea are allied to this race, but, being reared in a lower country, they are larger than the common Sheep 
of the mountains. Crosses have been made from time to time with the Sheep of Anglesea, but the affinity of the native race with 
the Soft-woolled Sheep of the mountains is easy to be traced in the height behind, the low and narrow forequarters, and the cha¬ 
racter of the wool. The attempts to improve the old breed of Anglesea by crossing have not been successful, owing, it may be 
believed, to the want of perseverance and system ; and graziers and butchers prefer the native to the mixed races. 
The Old Radnor Sheep, shown in the Plate, have some characters in common with the White-nosed Breed, but they are 
more distinctly connected with the Sheep of the higher mountains. They are of larger size and better form than the White-nosed 
Breed, fattening to from 7 lb. to 9 lb. the quarter. Their wool is of the long or combing character, but, like that of all the Sheep 
of Wales, is soft, and suited to the making of flannels. It is to be observed that the modern Sheep of the district, known com¬ 
monly as the Radnor Breed, differ considerably from the true Radnors, having been crossed with the Shropshire and other breeds 
of the low country. 
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