116
ON THE LIVE-STOCK
“ It is uncertain from whence this blackfaccd breed wasoriginally derived; but there is a tradition of its having beenfirst planted upon the King’s farm in the forest of Ettrick.That farm used to contain a flock of 5000 sheep for the useof the King’s household, and probably gave rise to that modeof sheep-farming which still subsists in the south of Scot-land *.”
1. The true black-faced sheep is thus described by thesame writer: “ His body is of a plump barrel shape, hishead is homed, and his face and slender legs are as black asjet, without any mixture of white. His face is set off with athick prominent collar of wool surrounding the neck. Heis the boldest, the most hardy and active of all the sheepkind. He fattens readily, and to a considerable size. Whenthis is the case, and when he is of a proper age, with accessto heather (heath), his meat by general consent is preferable« to every other sort of mutton f,” that of the small nativerace perhaps excepted.
These sheep were first introduced into the West Highlandsof Scotland, about the year 1762, and were soon found farmore profitable than cattle for the higher parts of the coun-try. It does not belong to this part of the work to give anyaccount of the change which this stock produced upon thepopulation of the Highlands, and our limits do not permitus to trace its progress from one county to another. Onething is indisputable; a much greater value of mutton andwool, than of beef, w r as speedily obtained from the highergrounds, and all those situations where little or no provisioncould be made for cattle in winter. The best interests of thenation at large, as well as of proprietors, were therefore pro-moted by this change.
2. The management of this breed, where a correct systemis adopted, is not materially different from that of the Che-viot breed to be afterwards described. It will therefore be
f Ibid. p. 71,