WILD HABITS STILL LINGER. 103 



You must all have noticed that, if one sheep 

 of a flock gets through a partially open gate, all 

 the rest will blindly follow the lead. And you 

 will find it a very difficult job to stem the rush. 

 The writer has seen a boy who tried to stem such 

 a rush completely taken off his legs by a large 

 flock of sheep. 



If a sheep jumps down from a height, say 

 down a sunk fence, and the others are alarmed, 

 the whole flock will collect and jump down from 

 almost the same spot, even at the risk of breaking 

 their slender legs. 



You must often have noticed, that when a 

 flock of sheep are travelling in a compact body 

 one of the flock will for no apparent reason 

 jump high in the air, and when the others come 

 to the same spot, they will jump likewise. 



Here is a lingering wild habit. While galloping 

 in headlong flight, the leader of a flock of wild 

 sheep, on coming to an opening in the ground or 

 any impediment, would jump to clear it ; the 

 rest of the flock being close together would not 

 have the time nor space to pause, look, and 

 judge each for themselves, but each member 

 would jump at the exact spot in exact imitation 

 of its leader. 



What a wise sheep law this was. For, with a 

 body of sheep compacted together in a long 

 narrow line, and travelling at great speed, to 



