Essay on Sheep. 103 



again; and indeed, if eiirly lambs are preferred, 

 early weaning is absolutely necessary, as the 

 ewe will seldom take the ram while exhausted 

 ^by nursing. In Spain they leave the lambs 

 with the ewes till they wean themselves. In 

 France, and generally in England, they are 

 weaned at three or four months old. In order 

 to prevent the lambs from falling off when they 

 are weaned, they should be put into a piece of 

 young tender grass, wiih an old quiet ewe or 

 wether to direct their movements; they should 

 also be out of sight and hearing of their mo- 

 thers, that they may the sooner forget each 

 other. If the keeping them apart should be 

 inconvenient, they may be brought together at 

 the end of a fortnight. Some attention should 

 be paid to the ewes for the first week, in order 

 to prevent their suffering by a too great flow of 

 milk, which should be taken from them every 

 day or two; and perhaps it would be best, till 

 their milk was dried up, to keep them in scant}' 

 pastures. 



It was the opinion of the Romans that the 

 first lamb from a ewe was generally weak and 

 pot-bellied ; they separated such from their 

 flocks, and fatted them off. I believe the opi- 

 nion well founded, but I think it arises from 

 the yoimg ewes seldom having so much milk, 



