Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/864

 838 SHEEP metrical as in many English breeds, and there is generally a loose skin hanging from the neck. They are kept in the milder regions in winter, and are transferred to the most fa- Merino Sheep (Ovis Hlspanica). vorable localities for shearing and grazing; they are most hardy in the Pyrenees. They are brought every night to a sheltered level valley, but are never housed nor under cover ; four shepherds and six large dogs are sufficient for 2,000 sheep ; the dogs can easily master a wolf, alone protect the flock at night, and are fed only on bread and milk. Most of these sheep have the horns removed ; the legs are white or reddish ; the face is in some speck- led, and in others white or reddish ; they are sometimes black ; they are excellent travellers ; they have in a remarkable degree the mellow softness under the skin which Bakewell con- siders an indication of a disposition to fatten in any breed ; they are extremely docile. The average fleece is 4 to 5 Ibs. ; several million pounds are annually exported from Spain. They readily form cross breeds, called demi- merinos, which have been brought to great perfection in France, whence, as well as from Spain, they have been imported into America. Other flne-wooled varieties of the merino are the Saxon, Silesian, and Flemish breeds, the last abundant in France and the Netherlands, and generally hornless, high on the legs, and mixed with the Barbary long-legged variety. The Astrakhan or Bokharan breed has a fine spirally twisted wool, and furnishes a great portion of the lamb skins so highly valued by furriers ; it is generally a mixed black and white ; in the very young each lock is divided into two small twisted curls. The Oaucasian breed (0. dolichura) is very handsome, resem- bling some of the Spanish and English varie- ties ; the males are horned, the wool of the adults coarse, and the tail, which consists of 20 vertebrae, is covered with a fine wool, which drags on the ground ; they are generally white ; by gentle pressure on the wool by linen cover- ings as the lamb grows, and by pouring warm water over it daily, it is made to lie in beauti- ful glossy ringlets, constituting a delicate fur much esteemed for lining robes and dressing gowns; the black is most prized. The My- sore breed of India is without horns, with pen- dulous ears, short tail, and very fine wool, curled in small meshes and twisted like a cork- screw. There is no country where more at- tention has been paid to the improvement of the breeds of sheep, both domestic and for- eign, or where more success has been attained, than Great Britain ; there are very valuable British breeds suited for the rich soil, luxu- riant pastures, and mild climate of southern England, the thinner soil and rich grasses of the upland counties, and the alpine herbage and cold weather of the Scottish highlands ; looking to a combination of advantages, some of the English breeds take the first rank for the small farmer. The Leicester or Dishley breed is the most esteemed of the long-wooled sheep of England, and is extensively reared on the rich and lower pasture lands. It may be known by the clean head without horns, lively eyes, straight, broad, and flat back, round body, small bones, thin pelt, disposition to make fat at an early age, and a fine-grained and well flavored flesh. It was once known as the Lincolnshire breed, noted for the quan- tity of the wool and the coarseness of the mut- ton ; Mr. Bakewell effected the improvement in the breed, with great profit to himself and advantage to the wool-growing interest of lii- country it has extended to the south of Scot- land, and a few are kept by almost every small farmer for the wool ; the fleece is abundant, the flesh excellent, and the habits docile and home-loving ; a valuable breed has sprung from its mixture with the black-faced and Cheviot varieties. The black-faced or heath breed extends from the N. W. parts of York- shire to the highlands of Scotland, especially on the W. coast ; it is active, hardy, almost goat-like in its climbing habits, with a com- pact shape and bright, wild-looking eyes ; the horns of the male are very large and convo- luted ; the wool is long, coarse, and shaggy, and the face and slender legs always jet-black ; Leicester Sheep. in some mixed breeds the face and legs are brownish spotted with black ; the flesh is fine- grained and of excellent flavor, but the wool is comparatively unprofitable, the Cheviot, an-