1. The external characters of the sheep.—(a) Wool.—How does the covering of a sheep’s body differ from the fur of a cat or rabbit, and from the hair of the dog? Examine a lock of “raw” wool; is it at all greasy? Dip it in water; is it much wetted? Are the fibres easily entangled together? Why is woollen clothing so warm? (b) Teeth.—Obtain a sheep’s head from the butcher, and examine the teeth. Notice the absence of incisors and canines in the upper jaw, and of canines in the lower jaw. Observe the thickened pad on the surface of the upper jaw, against which the lower incisors bite. Are the cheek teeth flat, or sharp-edged like the cheek teeth of carnivores? Watch a sheep feeding, and notice how it bites the grass. How is the lower jaw moved during the chewing of the cud? (c) Horns.—Which sheep have the largest horns, the males (rams) or the females (ewes)? If you can find a cast horn notice whether it is hollow or solid. What is the use of horns? (d) Limbs.—Is there any marked difference in the lengths of [Pg 258] fore and hind limbs? Notice the hoofs which cover those parts of the feet touching the ground. How many hoofs are there on each foot? 2. The habits of the sheep.—Are sheep solitary or do they live in flocks? What kind of ground do they seem to prefer, flat or hilly? Are sheep on a hillside easily seen from a distance? Why not? Are sheep nimble or clumsy? Can they run very fast? Would a flock of sheep be safer from, say, wolves on a rocky hillside or on an open plain? In a grazing flock of sheep notice whether most of the animals have their heads turned in the same direction. Has the direction any relation to the direction of the wind? Can you explain this? In a running flock of sheep does any one animal act as leader? Is the leader a ram or a ewe? Is it a lamb or an old animal? Do the rest of the flock imitate the actions of the leader, and, for example, leap over a wall at the same place in single file? Have you ever noticed that if one animal jumps at a certain place, all the following sheep jump at the same place? Have you ever seen sheep fighting? Were the combatants rams or ewes? How did they fight? What is the voice of a sheep like? 3. Lambs.—(a) Appearance.—At what time of the year are lambs born? Are they helpless or active? Have they long legs? What advantage to the lamb is length of limb? (b) Play.—Watch lambs playing. Do they show a preference for any eminence, e.g. a rock, in the neighbourhood? What is the meaning of this preference? How do lambs fight? Have you ever seen a ewe stamp with her fore-feet when anyone approached her lamb? At what age is a sheep full grown?