About Soay Sheep: The Soay sheep (Ovis aries L.) is a small, primitive, domestic sheep that may be more accurately described as a prehistoric sheep rather than an individual breed. It is considered to be a remnant of man's earliest attempts at domestication and has probably existed on the tiny island of Soay, Scotland since Neolithic times.  Uninfluenced by man's artificial selection and by virtue of its widely diverse genetics this feral ungulate evolved into an adaptable, hardy animal capable of surviving in a difficult and hostile environment. Since the late nineteenth century farmers, handspinners and conservationists in England and Scotland have kept Soay sheep in small numbers and they are now found in Europe and the United States as well.
	The fleece is shed naturally following lambing. Rams develop a thick hairy mane. The wool sorts into five colours, cream, fawn, blue-grey, brown, black. Animals may be either whole-coloured or show the 'Mouflon' pattern. Chocolate brown and the 'Mouflon' pattern are dominant. Some black or white animals occur and these are rare.

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