she has naturally so great a dread, often proves fatal. The sheep are generally shorn in the beginning of June, and the scissars have of late got into much use, instead of the former barbarous method of tearing off the wool with the fingers. In no case, as yet, has it become the practice to wash the Orkney sheep before being shorn, and it will be difficult to convince their owners of the advantages arising from this method. The wool is divided according to the different colours, white, gray, tawny, and black, and washed in a burn or lake, and then spread to dry on the grass, as soon after the sheep are shorn as possible; the finer parts of the fleece, such as grow on the breast, being first carefully separated from the coarse, when required for any particular purpose, such as fine stockings, gloves, &c. The operation of converting the ram-lambs into wethers, is also performed at the time the fleeces are taken from their mothers, as, if they are permitted to be more than a few weeks old, the lambs generally die under the operation. This may, however, arise very much from the unskilfulness of the operators, as there are no professional shepherds in Orkney. When no appearance of scab makes such a thing necessary, the Orkney sheep are never smeared, which is alleged, in some degree, to ac count for the softness of their wool, as it is observed, in the rare instances where this remedy has been applied, that the wool grows coarser and harder for some time afterwards. When the sheep are kept in holms, this disease seldom, if ever, makes its ap pearance. Many of these holms are so small, and so much exposed to the sea-breach, as to render it dangerous to leave the sheep on them after the month of November, when they are removed to the adjacent island, and permitted to roam at large, till the following April or May, at which time they are returned to the holm during the summer and autumn. As winter-herding is now beginning to be introduced into Orkney, the practice of permitting the sheep to wander about during the winter months must soon necessarily have an end; and this hitherto much neglected, but useful animal, will probably be better fed and attended to than heretofore. The people, however, are generally averse to what they deem a hardship, and rather than submit to winter herding, they speak of entirely getting rid of the native breed of sheep, and substituting the Cheviot breed, which is found more tractable, and which some of the farmers already have accustomed to pasture with the cattle, and to accompany them on their return to be housed at night. In a holm, within a few hundred yards of the island of Egilshay, I propose to keep a small flock of Orkney sheep, with a view to try to improve both the flesh and the wool of this animal. This flock has been bred in this holm, and formed a part of what is called the steelbow of a farm in Egilshay. I intend to confine its number to between thirty and forty, and I herewith send a portion of the fleece of the ram I propose using, partly from his compact figure, and partly because his wool is tawny, which is in great request among the people for clothing, as the expence and trouble of dying the cloth of a dark colour are thus avoided. The specimen of the ram's wool now sent is unwashed. I also send a specimen, as required, of one of the ewes to be kept for this experiment, though I do not think it finer than that of most of the others. I subjoin the ages of 22 ewes, which I intend to use n this experimental flock. The oldest is eight years old, and retained because she has every year had two fine lambs. There are, besides, Two white ewes, four years old. Four do. do, three years old. Six do. do. two years old. One tawny, and two grey ewes, two Four ditto ewe lambs of this And one tawny ram three year. years old. years old. With these, I propose to compete for the premium offered by the Highland Society of Scotland for 1825, for the most successful attempt to improve" the Orkney or Shetland breed of sheep, and shall, if required, send an attested report of my experiment in 1824. The holm or island I have selected for the purpose is Kilie Holm, containing about six or seven acres of pasture, on which upwards of 100 sheep have hitherto been kept, during the months of summer and autumn. Overstocked as this holm has hitherto been, it has never failed to fatten some of these sheep sufficiently; and as I intend to confine my experimental flock to 40 or 50 at the ut most, I am in hopes they will greatly improve in size, and in the quality and length of the wool. In the month of November they will be removed to the neighbouring island of Egilshay, to a small farm about a quarter of a mile from the holm. There they will remain during the winter months, under the care of a shepherd, whose house is built on that part of Egilshay nearest to the holm. They will at night be driven into a small square inclosure called a sheep-crew, and, when the weather is bad, they will be housed, and have turnips and hay, (both of which are somewhat a rarity to the Orkney sheep), given to them. JA. BAIKIE. The statement above, of the present Orkney system of managing sheep, appears to me quite correct, and I have little doubt of Mr Baikie's proposed improvement greatly bettering both the wool and mut ton. WILLIAM TRAILL, WM. SINCLAIR, J. P. Pp2 DESCRIPTION OF THE ODOMETER, EXHIBITED IN JANUARY 1821, AT A MEETING OF THE HIGHLAND SOCIETY, AND PRESENTED TO THEM BY MR HUNTER OF THURSTON.. (Plate VIII.) THE HE wheel A is made of light iron, and measures two yards in circumference, being divided by six spokes into feet. One spoke must be painted white. The handle is divided at C, like a fork, and embraces each end of the axis by its elasticity. Through the axis is a hole, into which the end H of the Way-wiser fits, and is held fast by a nut D. The way-wiser consists of a frame FG; F being hollow, to receive a perpetual screw H, a part of which is visible near the index M. At the other end of the screw is a nut I, which keeps it in its place. The screw turns two brass concentric cog |