112 BRITISH SHEEP AND SHEPHERDING. 



" There is plenty of room inside " is a good maxim for the shepherd 

 to bear in mind in all cases of malpresentation. He should seek for 

 the leg, get his fingers behind the knee, and gradually draw it 

 forward ; and if the lamb is lively it may be well to slip a noose 

 over its leg when brought forward, and then seek for the other leg. 

 Having brought both forward, the lamb should be drawn out 

 without delay, except to give the ewe a short rest if overcome by 

 exertion. The force should not be too great. Some other irre- 

 gularity, such as the head turned back, may not be noticed. Once, 

 however, the legs and head are in line the work of delivery may 

 be proceeded with. 



Sometimes the feet come all right, but the head may be turned 

 back towards the shoulder ; then it is necessary partly to replace 

 the lamb so that room may be found to turn the head into proper 

 position. The slippery nature of the mucus covering the lamb 

 makes it difficult to grip, and the head must be coaxed round by 

 the fingers until a better hold can be got in the mouth or other 

 convenient spot. Occasionally a leg may have got over the head, 

 causing an " arm-over-head " presentation. If the lamb is small 

 and the ewe roomy, gentle movement of the legs may give relief ; 

 but generally it is necessary to shove the lamb back to gain the 

 advantage of more room. A simple case of one leg back often 

 gives trouble, and in an ewe with little room, space will have to be 

 found by shoving the lamb back far enough to permit the hand to 

 get behind the shoulder. The legs may be turned under from the 

 knees ; if so, they must be put into proper position. In fact, 

 the legs are the main cause of difficulties, and the experience 

 necessary to recognise when the legs are in place is of the greatest 

 importance to the shepherd. To discern between the fore legs and 

 the hind legs is a highly important matter, and to be sure of this 

 and of their relative position is one of the first requisites ; for this 

 reason the shepherd should, in all cases when he finds it necessary 

 to insert his hand, try to impress on his mind the " feel " of the 

 several parts of the lamb. This is particularly necessary where 

 the lamb makes a rear or breech presentation with all the legs 

 forward (for the back legs are usually those most forward) and the 

 head turned under. If the fore legs can be shoved inwards the 

 lamb may come away easily, rear foremost ; but it may be necessary 

 to completely turn the lamb to produce a normal presentation. A 

 rear presentation with the legs backward (practically standing) may 

 be very awkward. Unaided delivery is almost an impossibility, and 

 the lamb must go forward and be delivered either as a back pre- 

 sentation by getting the hind legs up, or by turning and making a 

 normal presentation. In putting back a lamb, it is always advisable 

 for the ewe's hind quarters to be higher than the fore quarters. 

 Twins in the majority of cases come fairly well, and are delivered 



