White. — On Inherited Instincts in Animals. 283 



darker than other parts of the body, which I term the " water 

 mark," as though the animal had crossed a shallow stream. 

 To what form of wild ovis do these peculiarities show an 

 affinity ? 



CEstrus ovis, or sheep bot-fly, has been imported with the 

 sheep. The young grub enters and climbs the nasal passage, 

 and can follow an opening which leads to the horn-core of the 

 merino. I have found as many as eight well-grown grubs in 

 one horn. This connection from the horn to the nostril is 

 seen on the breaking off a horn by accident, when the observer 

 may notice that when the sheep coughs the blood on the head 

 will be sprayed about by escaping wind. 



The new-born lamb will follow its mother, and does not 

 " plant." 



The Goat. 



The goat is naturally wilder than most breeds of sheep, 

 but when made a pet of is more of a companion than a sheep 

 would be. Their note of alarm is, I think, made through the 

 nose, but has a thick-lipped sound : the nearest I can write it 

 is " purrup." 



The kid is hidden away, and the mother comes to it at 

 long intervals. Even when well grown and following in the 

 flock the kid is liable to "plant" or bolt away for hiding 

 when the flock is mustered. They will even lay in hiding 

 with closed eyes, the more readily to escape detection. 



Goats when handled mostly cry out ; they are not like 

 sheep, " dumb before her shearers." Angora goats shed or 

 cast their wool so soon as the spring grass is eaten, the wool 

 becoming matted and peeling off, which is a considerable 

 drawback. It is remarkable to see that they strip the bark 

 from some trees higher than 8 ft. from the ground, and also 

 will bend a tall thin stem having foliage beyond their reach 

 by taking the butt in their mouth and bending it over, con- 

 tinuing to pass the mouth along towards its extremity until 

 the top is reached, which they cut off by the back teeth as if 

 by a pair of scissors. 



They soon become accustomed to be fastened by a tether- 

 line, but, like all animals with which I have had experience, 

 they wind their rope around the tether-peg. They require a 

 swivel on the rope, otherwise by always going round the same 

 way they unlay the strands of the rope. Why animals always 

 persist in makmg the circle in one direction only, and never or 

 rarely go in an opposite direction, is truly remarkable. This 

 habit will cause a tethered animal to starve to death if not 

 constantly attended to, for it will become wound up short by 

 the neck or head. Why is this? Can it be because of right- 

 or left-leggedness, as the leading off with one particular leg? 



