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BRITISH SHEEP AND SHEPHERDING. 



siderable diversity in the manner of shearing by hand. In some 

 districts the shearer mainly stands whilst working : in others 

 he kneels, the sheep in these two cases resting on the ground ; 

 in others the sheep is laid on a bench, or in a cradle, whilst the 

 shearer stands. In some the legs are tied, in others not. In 

 some districts the shearer cuts longitudinally from end to end of 

 the body : in others he cuts right round, starting at the belly and 

 going over the back down to the belly on the other side : in others 

 the cutting is done against the natural fall or hang of the wool. 

 A very skilled man can, however, make quite good work with only 

 one-hand shearing when the wool is very open, as on some long- 



SHBARERS, SHOWING THE THREE POSITIONS. 



woolled sheep. The latter makes the best work. The sketch 

 shows three representative attitudes in shearing : (1) opening 

 round the neck ; (2) the middle of the body ; (3) the hind quarters. 

 The sheep should be perfectly dry at shearing, or the wool will 

 not be safe to store. All straw, twigs, &c., should be carefully 

 picked out of the wool, and dirty locks trimmed off. The opening 

 up of the work is performed in slightly differing ways, but the wool 

 about the head should be trimmed off first ; some shearers continue 

 to shear round the neck down to the brisket, merely laying back 

 the wool with the hands : others make a cut up from the brisket 

 to the head to afford an opening. First-class work requires the 

 shearer to be equally dexterous with either hand, so that he may 

 at all times meet the fall or natural hang of the wool. The difference 



