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Cotswolds are the largest, and probably the original breed of England are still found on the Cotswold Hills. They have long wool, white fleeces, white faces, and white legs, and have no horns. The wool is fine, but the pelts are particularly greasy, especially along the back. A later breed originating in the Midlands was called the
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Leicester long wool. This breed gives a great cut of wool and much coarse mutton. It is very extensively distributed in the North of England and has been much crossed, so that many sub-breeds are now well known, _e.g._ the
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Border Leicester --the general utility sheep of Scotland--and the
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Yorkshire Leicester or
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Mashams, much bred in Wensleydale.
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Lincolns are another long wool found only on the Lincolnshire Wolds. They also have white faces and shanks and yield a large pelt with fine grain. They give a big crop of wool.
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Devons are a smaller breed common in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. They yield a fairly long wool of great strength, but not quite white. Romney Marsh sheep (
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Kents ) are also long wools. They have white legs, white faces, a tuft of wool on the head, and no horns. The pelt is large and good.
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Roscommons
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Down sheep. These sheep are extensively bred on the chalk lands which comprise a very large percentage of the southern counties of England. The
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South Downs are the best and most important, the breed being the general utility sheep of England. They are small but well-shaped animals with grey faces, no horns and fine close wool. The pelt is only fair, but the mutton is excellent and provides the meat sold in our best shops. This breed has largely stocked New Zealand. The
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South Down is a somewhat delicate animal, and has therefore been largely crossed with Cotswolds and other breeds. Many well-known cross-breeds are found in the eastern and southern counties. The
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Suffolks, for example, are found in the eastern counties. They have black heads, faces and legs.
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Oxfords and
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Hampshires are similar, but larger.
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Shropshires
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Cheviots --much favoured by the Scotch farmers--have a wool of medium length but with much hair in it. They have white faces and legs and no horns, and yield excellent pelts. The
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Black-faced Mountain Sheep have longer wool but coarse, and yield good pelts. They are kept in the hilly parts of North England and in the Scottish Highlands.
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Lonks yield a large and good pelt, but very coarse wool. The mutton is good. They are a very large breed with much curved horns and black faces. There are also some small breeds,
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Shetlands, and
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Welsh Mountain Sheep.