THE SHEEP. 29 



knees, in order to make one simultaneous rush upon 

 me." 



To notice only one other quality of the sheep, it may 

 be remarked, that it discovers a strong affection for its 

 young. According to Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, "An 

 interesting provision of nature with regard to these 

 animals is, that the more inhospitable the land is on 

 which they feed, the greater will be their kindness and 

 attention to their lambs. I once herded," he says, 

 " two years on a wild and bare farm, called Willenslee, 

 on the border of Mid Lothian ; and of all the sheep I 

 ever saw, these were the kindest, and most affectionate 

 to their young. We had one very bad winter, so 

 that our sheep grew lean in the spring, and disease 

 came among them, and carried off many. Often have 

 I seen these poor victims, when fallen down to rise no 

 more, and even when unable to lift their heads from the 

 ground, holding up the leg to invite the starving lamb 

 to the miserable pittance that the udder could still 

 supply." 



