SOLITARY AND GREGARIOUS. 117 
In order to arrive at the cause of this sociality, 
which seems not only to be without any reason- 
able motive arising from mutual advantage, but to 
be rather disadvantageous from the pasture being 
exhausted by the crowd of feeders, we must con- 
sider these sheep as domesticated, and, of course, 
in different circumstances from the species in their 
original state of wildness and freedom, in which 
such sociality may serve some important purpose. 
The sheep of mountainous countries, where they 
are in a state of comparative wildness, though un- 
confined by fences, like those in the meadow just 
alluded to, are observed to keep together in bands, 
and to pass from one mountain platform to another 
in regular ranks, one_ deep, always headed by a 
leader. The duty of this leader is to give warning 
of the approach of danger to his troop, both when 
on a march of removgl to a different pasture and 
also while they are feeding. This fact, which has 
often been recorded, we have had more than once 
an Opportunity of witnessingin Wales. On ascend- 
ing Snowdon, for example, our attention was at- 
tracted by the deep harsh srroup of a raven sailing 
about on the air, looking out, no doubt, for some 
luckless sheep enfeebled by accident or disease upon 
which he might pounce. Immediately from the 
shoulder of the mountain above us the note of the 
raven was answered by the alarm-call of the leader 
of a small flock of sheep who were feeding on the 
scanty herbage of this lofty region; and, at the sig- 
nal, they quickly drew closer together, and, forming 
a ‘‘serried phalanx,” eyed their enemy with a bold- 
er bearing than we could have deemed possible in 
animals proverbial for timidity. The raven was not 
long in discovering that he had little chance of sin- 
gling a victim from so watchful and wary a band, 
and flew off towards the neighbouring cliffs, where 
he might chance to light upon the carcass of one left 
undevoured by some fox scared from his prey, or 
