MUTTON, the common name of the flesh of a
sheep after the animal has been killed. Mutton has
been commonly preferred to all the fleashes of quadru-
peds. And indeed, besides its being more perfect, it
has the advantage over them of being more generally
suited to different climates: whereas beef, e. g. re-
quires a very nice intermediate state, which it seems
to enjoy chiefly in England; for although Scotland
supplies what are reckoned the best cattle, it is in the
rich English pastures that they are brought to perfec-
tion. Now the sheep can be brought almost to the
same perfection in this bleak northern region as in the
southern countries.