 On the inaccessible island of Soay are sheep of a unique type , which lived as feral animals and belonged to the owner of the islands , not to the islanders . These Soay sheep are believed to be remnants of the earliest sheep kept in Europe in the Neolithic Era , and are small , short @-@ tailed , usually brown with white bellies , and have naturally moulting fleeces . About 200 Soay sheep remain on Soay itself , and soon after the evacuation a second feral population of them was established on Hirta , which at that time had no sheep ; these now number between 600 and 1 @,@ 700 . A few Soays have been exported to form breeding populations in other parts of the world , where they are valued for their hardiness , small size and unusual appearance . On Hirta and Soay , the sheep prefer the Plantago pastures , which grow well in locations exposed to sea spray and include red fescue ( Festuca rubra ) , sea plantain ( Plantago maritima ) and sea pink ( Armeria maritima ) . 
