and limbs ; the head is always compara- 

 tivel}' small, the lower jaws are thin and 

 fine and the space between the ears is 

 well covered with wool. 



The Dorset and pink-nosed Somerset 

 breed are in the southwest of England. 

 They are known by their long white 

 limbs and their white faces ; the muzzle 

 is sometimes flesh-colored and the wool 

 is of medium length. 



Then there are the various long- 

 wooled sheep of which the new Leicester 

 hreed is considered first in respect to 

 form and ability to fatten readily. Other 

 long-wooled sheep are the Lincolnshire, 

 the Romney Marsh, the Cotswold, the 

 Devonshire, the Notts and the long- 

 wooled Irish breeds. 



There are other breeds less well known 

 and less important, but the breeds of the 

 British isles are by no means confined to 

 that locality. They have been taken to 

 the United States and to other countries. 

 In fact, some variety of domestic sheep 

 tan be found in every land, and no ani- 

 mal is more useful to it| owner. 



In spite of the various breeds, the 

 characteristics of all domestic sheep are 

 similar. They have not the courage and 

 independence of their cousins, the wild 

 sheep of the mountains. These delight 

 to roam to the highest altitudes, some 

 species being found as high as 22';ooo 

 feet above the level of the sea. No other 

 animal save the musk ox and the moun- 

 tain goat can exist at this height. Doubt- 

 less the domestic sheep would thrive bet- 

 ter if it could escape the low levels and 

 the plains, for, like the wild sheep, it is 

 a mountain-loving creature. It has 

 adapted itself to the lower altitude, but 

 at a great loss of its original character- 

 istics. It has to an extreme extent be- 

 come a dependent animal, unable to care 

 for itself, totally lacking in courage and 

 resources, very easily frightened and 

 without marked character. An entire 

 fiock is easily startled by any unusual 

 noise ; thunder and lightning completelv 

 unsettles them, and human efforts to 

 quiet them often prove unavailing. 



Ih'chm tells us that "on 'the stcj^pcs of 

 Russia and Asia tlie sliej^herds often 

 have the most arduous tasks in preserv- 



ing their charges. During a snowstorm 

 or thunderstorm the.panicstricken flocks 

 disperse in a wild stampede, rushing out 

 into the wastes of the steppe like sense- 

 less creatures, and then resignedly suffer 

 themselves to be snowed under or to 

 freeze without making any attempt to 

 shelter themselves from the storm or 

 even to seek for food. In Russia a goat 

 is generally used as a leader for a flock 

 of sheep, but even a goat is not ahvays 

 able to keep the stupid animals under 

 proper guidance. During a thunder- 

 storm they huddle together and cannot 

 be made to move. "If lightning strikes 

 into the flock," says Lenz, "many are 

 killed at once; if fire breaks out in the 

 sheepfold the sheep do not run out, but, 

 on the contrary, sometimes rush into the 

 fire." The best m.anner of rescuing sheep 

 from a burning fold or structure is to let 

 the sheep dog to which they are accus- 

 tomed, drive them out. 



To a certain degree, however, the 

 sheep exhibits mental capacity. It learnS 

 to know its keeper, obeys his call and dis- 

 plays a certain amount of affection and 

 docility towards him. It seems to have 

 a liking for music^ or at least it patiently 

 and passively listens to the bagpipe play- 

 ing of the shepherd, and it has evidently 

 some premonition of impending changes 

 in the weather." 



Sheep thrive best on a diet of various 

 dried plants. The botanist Linnaeus 

 states that they "feed on three hundred 

 and twenty-seven of the common Central 

 European plants, avoiding one hundred 

 and forty-one. Ranunculus, cypress 

 spurge, meadow-saffron, shave-grass, 

 wild cabbage or skunk cabbage and 

 rushes are poison to it. It is fond of 

 salt and fresh drinking water is neces- 

 sary to its well being." 



The mother usually gives birth to but 

 one lamb, although occasionally there are 

 more. The little creature must first have 

 luiman care, but later they are permitted 

 to follow their mother, which shows 

 great affection for her oft'spring. 

 • A sheep may live to be fourteen years 

 of age, though at nine or ten years it 

 will lose most (-if its teeth and cannot 

 mnintain itself hv grazing. 



John Atnslie. 



132 



