350 MORBID APPETITE IN SHEEP. 



ing, will rush upon her. devour the young one 

 as it proceeds from the mother, and thus some- 

 times half the lamb is devoured before it is 

 wholly born. Although the shepherds, by at- 

 tention, endeavour to avert the evil as much 

 as possible, yet when many ewes are lamb- 

 ing, the number of shepherds attached to the 

 flocks are too small to enable them to attend to 

 every individual case. 



It may be asked. Does not the usual impulse 

 of natural feeling induce the mother to prevent 

 the destruction of her offspring ? In reply, it 

 may be said, That the poor, helpless, timid 

 creature bleats, but makes no effort to defend 

 her young one from the furious attacks of the 

 " mob." 



The poorest and leanest ewes are those re- 

 marked as being most eager to devour the lambs 

 of others ; they have been brought into that 

 miserable state, from having previously been 

 fine fat ewes, merely from the custom of devour- 

 ino; the saline earth. 



The head shepherd of Mr. Button's flocks told 

 me that there was not a finer flock of sheep in 

 the country than those, previous to their de- 

 vouring the salt clay and earth ; after which 

 they " fell off in condition," until they became 

 in the miserable state in which I now saw them. 



