SUMMER CARE AND MANAGEMENT 197 



case of twins, seeing that the ewe is often content 

 if she has one lamb with her and looks very little 

 for the other. 



There are exceptions to this rule, however. The 

 writer has known Dorset ewes that seemed to have 

 perfect memories and a knowledge of numbers and 

 would seek as earnestly for a strayed twin as 

 though it were a single lost lamb. 



Seeing that the ewes at this time must give their 

 attention to their lambs and cannot wander wide in 

 search of food, it is a good plan to lamb them on 

 some specially good piece of grass. And to aid in 

 keeping them quiet the shepherd may carry with 

 him oats, giving a handful to the ewe wherever he 

 finds her. It is hardly probable that a larger per 

 cent of lambs will be saved by lambing on grass 

 than by lambing earlier, nor will they ever be so 

 good as early lambs pushed from the start, but they 

 may be produced with comparatively little trouble 

 and in some situations are the only ones that it is 

 practicable to produce. The care of the shepherd 

 is particularly required when ewes lamb on grass. 



No lambs should be permitted to be born later 

 than the first of May, except in a high mountainous 

 region where grass starts late and cool summer 

 weather prevails. Lambs born in May, June or 

 July seldom amount to much, owing no doubt to the 

 fact that they are almost sure to become infested 

 with parasites. Between April and September, 

 then, there should be no lambing done. Rather than 

 to lamb out of season the ewe should be allowed to 



