94 Domestic ANIMALS. 
lenslee a severe blast of snow came on by night, aboat the lat- 
ter end of April, which destroyed several scores of our lambs, 
and as we had not enow of twins and odd lambs for the mothers 
that had lost theirs, of course we selected the best ewes and 
put lambs to them. As we were making the distribution, I 
requested of my master to spare me a lamb for a ewe which he 
knew, and which was standing over a dead lamb in the end vt 
the hope, about four miles from the house. He would not let 
me do it, but bid me let her stand over her lamb for a day or 
two, and perhaps a twin would be forthcoming. I did so, and 
faithfully she did stand to her charge. I visited her every morn- 
ing and evening for the first eight days, and never found her 
above two or three yards from the lamb; and often as I went 
my rounds, she eyed me long ere I came near her, and kept 
stamping with her foot, and whistling through her nose, to 
frighten away the dog. He got a regular chase twice a day as I 
passed by; but however excited and fierce a ewe may be, she 
never offers any resistance to mankind, being perfectly and 
meekly passive to them. 
“The weather grew fine and warm, and the dead lamb soon 
decayed; but still this affectionate and desolate creature kept 
hanging over the poor remains with an attachment that seemed 
to be nourished by hopelessness. It often drew tears from my 
eyes to see her hanging with such fondness over a few bones, 
mixed with a small portion of wool. For the first fortnight 
she never quitted the spot; and for another week she visited 
it every morning and evening, uttering a few kindly and heart- 
piercing bleats; till at length every remnant of her offspring 
vanished, mixing with the soil, or wafted away by the winds.” 
