Parental and Early Instincts, 107 
to suck, but here it does not discriminate like the 
newly-hatched bird that picks up its proper food, 
for it does not know what to suck. It will take 
into its mouth whatever comes near, in most cases 
a tuft of wool on its dam’s neck ; and at this it 
will continue sucking for an indefinite time. It is 
highly probable that the strong-smelling secretion 
of the sheep’s udder attracts the lamb at length to 
that part ; and that without something of the kind 
to guide it, in many cases it would actually starve 
without finding the teats. I have often seen lambs 
many hours after birth still confining their attention 
to the most accessible locks of wool on the neck or 
fore legs of the dams, and believe that in such 
cases the long time it took them to find the source 
of nourishment arose from a defective sense of 
smell. Its next important instinct, which comes 
into play from the moment it can stand on its feet, 
impels it to follow after any object receding from 
it, and, on the other hand, to run from anything 
approaching it. If the dam turns round and 
approaches it from even a very short distance, it 
will start back and run from her in fear, and will 
not understand her voice when she bleats to it : at 
the same time it will confidently follow after a man, 
dog, horse, or any other animal moving from it. A 
very common experience on the pampas, in the sheep- 
country, is to see a lamb start up from sleep and 
follow the rider, running along close to the heels of 
the horse. This is distressing to a merciful man, 
for he cannot shake the little simpleton off, and if 
he rides on, no matter how fast, it will keep up 
with him, or keep him in sight, for half a mile or a 
