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In the northern part of Kincardine, we are told that there isstill a remnant of the ancient aboriginal sheep ol the coun-try, which are to be found, more or less, all over the hillyparts of Britain, from the mountains in Wales to the most re-mote of the Shetland islands. This species is distinguishedby the yellow colour of the face and legs, and by the dishe-velled texture of the fleece, hanging much of it in detachedringlets, partly very coarse, and partly remarkably fine wool.The size seems to depend on the climate. None of them arelarge. But in Wales they are longer in the leg than on theScottish Grampians. They do not differ much in actualweight, for in both situations they average from 7 lbs. to 9 lbs.a quarter. This, though a small breed, produces a remark-ably delicate and highly flavoured mutton, and peculiarlyesteemed by the greatest epicures *.
The management of this breed is everywhere so bad, that itis surprising the animals should have been able to live andpropagate. Unless it be the very finest-woolled sheep ofShetland, they are hardy and wild to an extreme degree, andliable to very few diseases. There is no such thing as anyre gular system of management. On the mainland, there arevery few belonging to one individual, “ it being but rarelythat a flock to the extent of half a hundred is to be seen j-.”“ They were folded in summer and harvest, and housed inwinter and spring. From the middle of May the lambs weredeprived of half the milk, by separating them at night fromtheir dams, which were milked in the morning J.” In Shet-land the sheep “ are gathered into folds about the beginning°f April, that they may be the easier managed throughoutthe summer, and for pulling outlie wool, marking the lambs,”& c. “ Sometimes they are lost, by running down steep
banks, when pursued by the dogs, tumbling over precipices,a| wl at other times falling into the sea. For six months in
* Kincardineshire Report, p. 385. f Ibid,
| Argyleshire Report, p. 256 .
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