NEW SOUTH WALES, OR AUSTRALIAN SHEEP. 101 



feeding, he passes occasionally gently among them, spreads 

 them out, and makes them take a fresh position in as small 

 groups as possible, under another tree, because, when they 

 remain too long together in one place, they are apt to become 

 broken-winded. It is a rule that sheep should never remain 

 in one spot so long as to paddle the ground much with their 

 feet ; and hence, in riding round your sheep stations, you 

 have something whereby to judge whether or not your in- 

 structions are attended to. The shepherd takes out his 

 victuals with him, and is required to be on the alert all day 

 long, to prevent the sheep from being lost in the woods, or 

 wild dogs from pouncing in among them. 



" Three flocks are always penned together under the charge 

 of a watchman, who counts each regularly in at night, and 

 the shepherds again count them out in the morning ; so that 

 they form a regular check upon each other, and prevent loss- 

 es from carelessness or depredation. The watchman has a 

 small weather-proof watch-box to sleep in, and is assisted 

 by a watch-dog ; he keeps up a good fire, which generally 

 deters all native or wild dogs from approaching the fold. 

 The hurdles are made of light swamp oak, iron bark, or gum, 

 measuring seven feet long, with five bars, so close together 

 that a young lamb cannot creep through. They are shifted 

 to fresh ground daily, being sloped outward, and propped to- 

 gether by means of forked sticks, driving a stake through 

 between the bars here and there to keep the hurdles firm, 

 and prevent the wind from blowing them over. ***** Bells 

 are attached to the necks of the stoutest leaders, to keep the 

 flock together, and give warning of anything going wrong 

 within the fold." 



Notwithstanding the equability and dryness of the climate, 

 the sheep are subject to the same maladies, though less fre- 

 quent, of those in Europe, and especially that lamentable 

 scourge, foot rot. This originates from the poachy nature 

 of the soil. 



The manner of cleansing the fleece, is by conveying water 

 through spouts, where practicable ; and otherwise, by swim- 

 ming repeatedly the sheep across narrow streams, and after- 

 wards squeezing the wool with the hands. It is not unusual 

 for many of the fleeces to lose three fifths by thorough wash- 

 ing. 



The average weight of the fleeces of the improved breeds 

 is from two to two and a half pounds. 



9* 



"i) 



