W'hitk. — On Coloured Shcc2). 215 



merino, of France, is said to have originated. In the same dis- 

 trict I found lambs with their hoofs bitten off, supposed to 

 be done by rats. One in particular surprised me. As I was 

 walking on the hill, doing shepherd's duty, the little thing came 

 walking towards me with such a smooth and peculiar action 

 that I was transfixed with wonder. On looking closely I found 

 that it was walking on the two fore or front legs only, the body 

 being balanced by projecting the hind legs forward on each side 

 of'the front ones. In most cases, the hoofs after a time grew 

 into perfect form again. But whether this particular lamb 

 survived or not I cannot say. 



On the Canterbury Plains in the early days, when all the 

 runs were unfenced for many years, we used to find cabbage- 

 tree or hermit sheep. These were merino sheep living alone, 

 and having a cabbage-tree or flax-bush for a mate or companion, 

 and they could not be made to leave, always keeping within a 

 certain radius of that specia,l tree, which they considered their 

 especial friend. They w"Ould be without ear-mark, having 

 long tails and several years' wool, mostly reaching to the 

 ground. They could never be made to associate with flock 

 sheep, and, being very fat when found, were generally carted 

 home and killed. 



Now comes a most extraordinary account of a wether 

 sheep suckling and reariiig a lamb. Mr. Eobert Wiffin, my 

 first informant, said, " It brought it up, and well, too." 

 Several in the district speak to this as a fact. Mr. Mark 

 Franklin and others examined the sheep when it was in for 

 shearing. This was at Mr. John Eoberts's Tautane Station, 

 when Mr. Pillans was temporary manager. 



So, wonderful things are seen and lost, for in our life- 

 struggle, we have to attend to more immediate wants, and in 

 most cases lose sight of the rare and curious freaks which 

 occur at long intervals among our surroundings. 



The accompanying drawing (Plate XXIIa.) was copied 

 from the photograph of a Chatsworth sheep by my friend and 

 correspondent, Mr. E. Mervyn Wrench, and is some of his 

 last w^ork, he having since " passed through the valley of the 

 shadow of great darkness to that better land." It is identical 

 with the picture remarked on by Lord Moreton as a fair 

 resemblance to a St. Kilda sheep. 



P.S. — The following letter has since been received from 

 Professor Boyd Dawkins : — 



" ^Yoodhurst, Fallowfield, Manchester, 

 " 28th June, 1890. 

 '■' Dear Sir, — In answer to your question, forwarded to me 

 by Miss White, as to ancient British sheep, I cannot say more 

 than that I have never seen any four-horned sheep of the 



