348 MORBID APPETITE IN SHEEP. 



The result was, that as the regulations of the 

 government could not permit the grant to be 

 changed, Mr. D. was obliged to sell it as a cattle- 

 station, and purchase land in a more favourable 

 part of the colony for his flocks. 



In December he removed them, as a tempo- 

 rary measure, to Yas Plains ; some of the ewes 

 lambed after they had been removed, but the 

 morbid appetite had ceased with the exciting- 

 cause, and the lambs were not attacked by the 

 other ewes. 



At the Murrumbidgee country I saw one of 

 the little lambs, which had just been saved from 

 the ravenous ewes, and had its tail bitten otf be- 

 fore it was rescued. The circumstance was as 

 follows, Mdiich shows the mode of attack :• — The 

 ewe was lambing, when six or eight others rushed 

 towards her, but were prevented from coming 

 near by the shepherds ; they would not, how- 

 ever, go away, but kept following ; and as soon 

 as the ewe dropped her lamb (the shepherds 

 having heen engaged for the moment in driving 

 away another party from another lambing ewe) 

 it was attacked, the tail was bitten, but they 

 were prevented from proceeding further by the 

 immediate return of the shepherds. 



They also evince as much eagerness to devour 

 the " cleanings,'^ or after-birth, if not prevented ; 



