THE SHEEP KILLER. 85 



along- until blood-poisoning, caused by filth and exposure, sets 

 in, and the unfortunate beast lies down and gives up the 

 strugg-le. The animals must suffer very severe torture as they 

 wander about, the large wound exposing the flesh to insects 

 and to extremes of weather. 



This method of killing- accounts for the number of sheep 

 that are found in the paddocks at shearing time, wounded or 

 dead, with nothing but a scar showing on their rumps. 



While staying at the Mt. Algidus Station, I was 

 fortunate enough to see three sheep that had been attacked 

 in this way by the Keas. 



On the Top Flat, near the base of the Rolleston Range, 

 on a large terrace sloping down to the Mathias River, we 

 found a splendid merino ram, lying dead just where two 

 wire fences met at right angles. It looked as if the sheep 

 had been cornered there and wounded. 



There was an ugly wound on the rump about eleven inches 

 from the base of the tail, the gash measuring four inches 

 by five in width and about two inches deep. One half had 

 been torn down to the sinews, while the lower half was 

 eaten down to the bone ; the body cavity, though just pierced, 

 did not seem to have been disturbed. From all appearances 

 the animal had died from blood-poisoning and exhaustion, as 

 the wound was very black and dirty. 



Just near this, belonging to the same mob, we found a 

 live ram running about with the others, with a dirty gash 

 on its rump, in a situation similar to that of the wound in 

 the other animal. 



The wound was V-shaped, and along the sides it measured 

 four inches by six inches. It had partly healed, but was 

 festering very badly, so that there was very little hope for 

 the unfortunate sheep. 



At Lake Coleridge Station, near the homestead, a four- 

 toothed merino ewe was found wandering about with a large 

 circular wound on its back, somewhat nearer the head than 

 in the former cases. It was put into the yards to await my 

 arrival, but it died before morning. The wound was four 

 inches by three in size, and had just entered the body 

 cavitv. 



