Chapter 718: 696. THE GENTLE AND TIMID DISPOSITION of the sheep, and its defenceless
condition, must very early have attached it to man for motives less
selfish than either its fleece or its flesh; for it has been proved
beyond a doubt that, obtuse as we generally regard it, it is susceptible
of a high degree of domesticity, obedience, and affection. In many parts
of Europe, where the flocks are guided by the shepherd's voice alone, it
is no unusual thing for a sheep to quit the herd when called by its
name, and follow the keeper like a dog. In the mountains of Scotland,
when a flock is invaded by a savage dog, the rams have been known to
form the herd into a circle, and placing themselves on the outside line,
keep the enemy at bay, or charging on him in a troop, have despatched
him with their horns.
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