THE MOUFLON 55 



In the opinion of Dr. Duerst, this so-called 

 Copper sheep affords decisive evidence that the 

 mouflon has had a large share in the production 

 of the tame breeds of Western Europe, although 

 it cannot be determined whether the mouflon itself 

 was actually tamed by the Prehistoric inhabitants 

 of the south-west of Europe, or whether it was 

 merely crossed with an already existing breed which 

 must obviously have been derived from the East. 

 My own opinion is in favour of the former view. 



As the habits of mouflon are similar to those 

 of wild sheep in general, a very few words will 

 suffice on this subject. They generally asso- 

 ciate in flocks numbering from 50 to 100 head, 

 which are led by the oldest and strongest rams ; 

 but in the breeding season these split up into 

 smaller parties, each consisting of one adult ram 

 and several ewes. These sheep are largely nocturnal 

 in their mode of life, and at all times are remark- 

 ably shy and difficult of approach. They are fond 

 of taking advantage of the protection afforded by 

 the bruyere bushes which grow abundantly in many 

 of their haunts, and when lying down under such 

 shelter are almost impossible to detect. The 

 breeding-season takes place in December and 

 January, when the rams engage in fierce combats 

 previous to the division of the flocks into small 

 parties. The period of gestation is stated to be 

 just short of twenty-one weeks, or say 145 days, 



