834 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



as many subdivisions as there are 

 thousands of sheep belonging to it; 

 each sheep, besidesbeing sear-mark- 

 ed in the face with a hot iron when 

 young, is branded after every shear- 

 ing with a broad pitch brand, gene- 

 rally of the first letter of the name 

 of the proprietor, and each subdi- 

 vision is distinguished from the rest 

 by the part of the sheep's body on 

 which this mark is placed. 



By the laws of the Mesta, each 

 Cavana must be governed by an 

 officer called Mayoral ; for each 

 subdivision of a thousand sheep, 

 five shepherds and four dogs are 

 appointed. Some of these inferior 

 shepherds obtain the office of Ra- 

 badan, the duty of which is to give 

 a general superintendance under 

 the control of the ISIayoral, also to 

 prescribe and administer medicines 

 to the sick sheep. At the time of 

 travelling, and when the ewes are 

 yeaning, one or two extra shep- 

 herds are allowed for each thousand 

 sheep. 



The number of Merino sheep in 

 Spain is estimated by Burgoyne at 

 6,000,000 ; these of course must be 

 attended by 30,000 shepherds and 

 24,000 dogs at ordinary times, and 

 they find occasional employment 

 for 5 or 10,000 additional persons 

 in the seasons of lambing and of 

 travelling. 



In their journey, each subdivision 

 is attended by its own shepherds 

 and dogs, and kept sepai'ate as far 

 as may be from all others. The 

 duty of the dogs is to chace the 

 wolves, who are always upon the 

 watch when the sheep are on the 

 road, and are more wily than our 

 foxes ; they are taught also, when 

 a sick sheep lajjs behind unobserved 

 by the shepherds, to stay with and 

 defend it, till some one returns 



back in search of it. There are, 

 besides, in each subdivision, about 

 six tame wethers, called Mansos ; 

 these wear bells, and are obedient 

 to the voices of the shepherds, who 

 frequently give them small pieces of 

 bread; some of the shepherds lead, 

 the Mansos are always near them, 

 and this disposes the flock to fol- 

 low. 



Every sheep is well acquainted 

 with the situation of the Dehesa 

 to which its subdivision belongs, 

 and will at the end of the journey 

 go straight to it, without the guid- 

 ance of the shepherds; here the 

 flock grazes all the day under the 

 eyes of the attendants ; when the 

 evening comes on, the sheep are 

 collected together, and they soon 

 lay down to rest; the shepherds 

 and their dogs then lay down on 

 the ground round the flock, and 

 sleep, as they term it, under the 

 stars, or in huts that afford little 

 shelter from inclement weather ; 

 and this is their custom all the year, 

 except that each is allowed, in his 

 turn, an absence of about a month, 

 which he spends with his family; 

 and it is remarkable, that the fa- 

 milies of these shepherds reside en- 

 tirely at Leon. 



The shepherds who came with 

 his majesty's flock, were question- 

 ed on the subject of giving salt to 

 their sheep ; they declared that 

 this is only done in the hottest sea- 

 son of the year, when the sheep are 

 on the mountains ; that in Septem- 

 ber it is left off; and that they dare 

 not give salt to ewes forward with 

 lamb, being of opinion that it causes 

 abortion. 



It is scarcely credible, though 

 it ap|)ears on the best authority to 

 be true, that under the operation 

 of the laws of the Mesjta, which 



confide 



