WILD SHEEP. 99 



the sun and a spot that gives their sentinel a 

 wide look-out, so that they can easily see the 

 approach of their special enemies the wolves. 



Not only do -these wild sheep select a place 

 when resting that gives them a wide vision, 

 but they often select a spot so that the scent of 

 an enemy will be borne to them on the wind, 

 whichever way it approaches. 



In the lambing season the spring in order 

 to obtain greater warmth for their lambs and 

 a more plentiful supply of young nourishing 

 grass, they descend towards the plains. 



The fights that at certain times take place 

 between the horned rams are very terrible. 

 When a fight is on, these silent, desolate heights 

 echo and re-echo with the thunder-like claps 

 that the crashing together of these massive 

 heads and powerful necks and horns make. 



No doubt the hardest head and strongest neck 

 only could survive these fights to the death or to 

 a finish, and so there has been handed down to 

 their descendants our domesticated sheep a 

 hard head and powerful neck. 



The cousins of the sheep the antelope and 

 deer had a good chance of escaping their flesh- 

 eating enemies by their extraordinary swiftness of 

 foot, but the sheep, not having this power so 

 highly developed, had to adopt some other means 

 of saving themselves from extinction, and so 



