Kay Robinson's Theory 



ance the green grass close-grazed, the tall butter- 

 cups left standing high. 



"Once, leaning over a gate with friends, I 

 pointed out that a flock of sheep grazing in a 

 sainfoin field were nibbling the greenstuff close, 

 but were not eating the flowery stalks, when one 

 sheep near us accidentally pulled up a whole 

 sainfoin plant by the roots and proceeded to 

 munch it upwards. Inch by inch the stem passed 

 into its jaws, and I began to be afraid that it was 

 going to establish an ' exception ' to my rule. 

 But, just when the bright cluster of pink sainfoin 

 blossom was within two inches of its teeth, it 

 gave an extra nip, and the flower head fell to the 

 ground, and the sheep resumed its search for 

 greenstuff. 



" I do not say that this would always happen 

 I should be sorry for any theory which depended 

 upon the intelligence of a sheep but it was a 

 very striking object-lesson to my two companions; 

 and any one who looks around during this summer 

 with an inquiring mind will find plenty of evidence 

 that grazing, browsing, and nibbling animals avoid 

 flowers, and stick to greenstuff when they can 

 get it. 



" I do not say that all animals avoid the same 

 flowers. Horses, for instance, may dislike large 

 flowers like roses and conspicuous yellow flowers 

 like buttercups, but they will bite off flat clusters 

 of minute white or pale yellow flowers, such as 



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