28 BRITISH RURAL LIFE AND LABOUR. 



is amusing to note that extra payment is sometimes 

 given for " twins." 



The shepherd is " encouraged " in some cases to do 

 " his best " by giving him fourpence or sixpence per 

 lamb, up to a lamb per ewe, and more, occasionally 

 a shilling a lamb, for all beyond that number. This 

 payment practically compasses the " twin " question. 

 A sort of insurance money (without payment of 

 " premium " by the shepherd the premium, however, 

 being paid for " in kind " by him in the shape of extra 

 care) is awarded to the shepherd on what is called 

 " lambs tailed." There is risk to life in " tailing," 

 that is, cutting the tail of a lamb short. If the lambs 

 who undergo the operation usually at the age of two 

 or three weeks survive the " tailing," then the shepherd 

 gets his money. Even these customs vary ; and in 

 some instances, instead of payment per lamb, a " bonus " 

 in cash is given to their caretaker at the end of the 

 lambing season. The " bonus " or extra pay may be 

 given in addition to the allowance for each ; or again, 

 extra wages to cover everything may be given during 

 the whole of the " lambing season." The total amount, 

 in any case, of the shepherd's emoluments also varies 

 appreciably, whilst in an ordinary way his extra fees 

 for such they really are may not total more than 

 from three to five pounds. They may possibly amount, 

 on very large sheep farms, to as much as twenty or 

 twenty-five pounds. Suffolk affords a good example 

 of the best kind of lambing district for the shepherd. 

 Here sometimes, for a flock of ewes averaging 280 with 

 an average lamb " crop " of 350, the number of lambs 

 over that of their maternal parents implying the advent 

 of a good many " twins," the shepherd might make on 

 his sixpence a head for his 350, no less than 8, 155. ; 

 but the range of extra cash is from ten to fifteen 

 pounds, the amounts sometimes rising as high as twenty 

 pounds. 



