HOONYAS AND THEIR FLOCKS. 323 



also in a direction opposite to the one we wished to take, 

 we paid them no further attention. Towards the after- 

 noon we found two burrell rams, which we stalked with- 

 out much difficulty, and one of them was killed. I 

 noticed on this occasion, and many others, on these high 

 undulating uplands, that a shot had a peculiarly dull and 

 flat sound, which was probably due to atmospheric influ- 

 ence. There was none of the usual ring or reverberation 

 in the thin air of this high region. Nor was there an 

 echo to the report of a gun even under conditions of 

 ground where it might ordinarily have been expected. 

 Had it not been for the usual recoil, I might have sup- 

 posed that the rifle was loaded with an insufficient charge 

 of powder. On our way back we came across a Hoonya 

 encampment, the occupants of which were busily engaged 

 sheep -shearing. They were using a knife in place of 

 shears for removing the fleeces, which I noticed were 

 very fine and long. 



Herds, consisting sometimes of thousands of sheep, goats, 

 and yaks, may be seen about a Hoonya camp, all of them 

 as wild as deer, and it is interesting to observe the way in 

 which they are tended. The sheep and goats are picketed 

 at night in troops, exactly like the horses of a cavalry regi- 

 ment. Two long ropes are stretched along the ground and 

 made fast about a yard apart, with nooses on each rope 

 about two feet apart. In the evening the sheep and goats 

 are collected, and surrounded by the men, women, and 

 children in a circle, who all continue singing, which ap- 

 pears to have the effect of quieting the animals. This 

 circle is gradually contracted around the ropes, and in a 

 marvellously short space of time all the animals' heads 

 are tied in these nooses, heads inwards, facing each other. 

 The women then go round with pails, singing all the time, 

 and milk them. Eight or ten women follow each other, 

 each operating on every sheep and goat, but not spending 

 more than a quarter of a minute over each. Sheep and 



