joins that from Killin to Tyandrum, the King's House and Fort William, large flocks of sheep with their drivers were met on their way to the Falkirk tryste (fair); and, on the 3d October, a considerable extent of the road through Glenurchay was almost covered with flocks of sheep and droves of cattle, proceeding to the same destination from the district of Morven in Argyleshire, and the western coast and islands of Ross-shire. The flocks and droves from these quarters pass the Inverness-shire Lochy at the head of Loch Linne, or are ferried across that lake about ten miles further west, at the ferry of Corran, and are then driven round the head of the Argyleshire Loch Leven, through Glenurchay and Braidalbane, by Lochearn-head and Crief to Falkirk. The greater part of the cattle and sheep were small in size; many of the former lean, and some of them ill-shaped, a bad property which does not usually belong to the cattle of the western coast. All the flocks which were met on this occasion, on the Braidalbane and Glenurchay road, were, without exception, of the speckled, or black and whitefaced kind-a circumstance rather remarkable, considering the general preference which has for some time been given in the highlands, to the Linton or black-faced mountain breed, which

has been thus described.

"His body is of a

"plump barrel shape, his head horned, and his "face and slender legs are as black as jet, with"out any mixture of white. His face is set "off with a thick prominent collar of wool sur "rounding the neck. He is the boldest, the "most hardy and active of all the sheep kind. "He fattens readily, and to a considerable size; " and when he is of a proper age, with access "to heath, his meat by general consent is pre"ferable to every other sort of mutton, that of "the small native race perhaps excepted."* The same writer adds: "It is uncertain from "whence this black-faced breed was originally "derived; but there is a tradition of its having "been first planted on the King's farm, in the "forest of Ettrick. That farm used to contain

a flock of 5000 sheep for the use of the "King's household, and probably gave rise to "that mode of sheep-farming which still sub"sists in the south of Scotland." This breed, being introduced into the west highlands in 1762, soon spread over a large portion of the country; and it seems singular, considering its peculiar adaptation for bearing the rigours of the highland climate, and to fatten on the high

*Walker's Hebrides.

land pastures, that it did not supersede every other kind. But a great part of the ground was in the hands of those who had neither capital to procure, nor intelligence to understand, the value of the best breed, and who therefore re- tained whatever kind they found previously established in the vicinity. The small white or dun-faced sheep, called the aboriginal breed, said to have been derived from Denmark or Norway, might perhaps have been preferred by many, on account of its finer fleece; and this breed is still to be found in considerable numbers, particularly in the northern and western isles. This native race is said to be hardy and remarkably prolific, but of a diminutive size, which seems however to be owing to bad management, the bulk having been greatly increased by means of a better system. The wool, although fine, is so thin and open, that it does not sufficiently shelter the animal, a defect which may be cured by judicious crosses. The following observations on this breed in the General Agricultural Report are material, and may reasonably be concluded to have come from a competent judge of the matter. "The pro"duce of this breed, managed in so barbarous

a manner, must be inconsiderable both to the "owner and occupier of the soil. The fineness

"of the wool of all the varieties, particularly. "of some of the Shetland sheep, seems to

66

prove, however, that neither the climate nor "the pasture of the northern isles are unfavour"able to the growth of fine wool. The immense improvements, which may in time be "effected in the fleeces of the sheep of the "north of Scotland, by judicious crosses with "a fine close-woolled race, and the vast advan"tages that would result from it to the pro"prietors and the public at large, cannot easily "be calculated. It is perhaps not too rash to "observe, that, had the same attention been

every where paid to the fleece of this native "race that has been given to the form of some "other breeds, there would have been no oc"casion at this time for importing Spanish and "other wools, unless perhaps a little of the

very finest quality. It is in such situations as "the north of Scotland, and not on the finer "pastures of the low country, where the qua"lity of the fleece ought always to be a subor"dinate consideration to the weight of the car66 case, that experiments should be made with a "fine-woolled breed of sheep." The improvements mentioned in this extract have already been successfully commenced in some parts of the highlands; and since the introduction of

the Merino flocks, experiments were projected, and have probably been since made by crosses between the native and Merino race. If by these means a variety could be produced of the native race, uniting the several qualities of hardiness, large size, and fine close fleece, the natural result would be, that this variety will supersede all others, not excepting the black-faced mountain breed.

Slate, iron, lead, cobalt, and other minerals, have been found in this division of Argyleshire.

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