THE STORY OF THE WILD 'SHEEP. 
181 
which I am acquainted. When they are alarmed, or at “gaze,” they have 
a habit, or at least the rams have, of placing themselves in the middle of a 
bush, or in the shadow which it casts. The ewes, which'are naturally less 
conspicuous, do this in a, less degree. The mouflon. are assisted by the 
wonderful alertness of their eyes. One of their favorite devices is to seek 
for spots on the lee-side of a ridge where the currents of air meet. Here, 
a view of the whole of the surrounding country. The flocks of mouflon 
are led by an old and powerful ram; but at the pairing-season the large flocks 
used to split up into small parties, consisting of one ram and several ewes. 
The rams engage in fierce conflicts among themselves for the supremacy; 
and during the months of December and January the mountains re-echo 
with the sound of the blows as one ram rushes against the head of another. 
The Sardinian mouflon is one of the most difficult animals to approach with 
A MOUFLON FAMILY. 
