THE MERINO BREED. 139 



them do so, and pursue their accustomed route, often reach- 

 ing their former year's pastures, where they are found when 

 the main body arrives. But, for the most part, these strag- 

 glers are carried off by the wolves, which abound along the 

 course which the migratory flocks pursue. 



These migratory Sheep are divided into flocks of a thou- 

 sand or more, each under the charge of its own Mayoral or 

 chief shepherd, who has a sufficient number of assistants 

 under his command. It is his province to direct all the de- 

 tails of the journey. He goes in advance of the flock ; and the 

 others follow with their dogs to collect the stragglers, and 

 keep off the wolves, which prowl in the distance, migrating 

 with the flock. A few mules or asses accompany the caval- 

 cade, carrying the simple necessaries of the shepherds, and 

 the materials for forming the nightly folds. In these folds 

 the Sheep are penned throughout the night, surrounded by 

 the faithful Dogs, which give notice of the approach of danger. 



"When the Sheep arrive at the Esquileos, or shearing- 

 houses, which is in the early part of their journey north- 

 ward, a sufficient number of shearers are in attendance to 

 shear a thousand or more in a day. The Esquileos consist 

 of two large rude rooms, with a low narrow hut adjoining 

 termed the sweating-house. The Sheep are driven into one 

 of the large rooms, and such of them as are to be shorn on 

 the following day are forced into the long narrow hut as 

 close as they can be packed, where they are kept all the 

 night. They undergo in this state a great perspiration, the 

 effect of which is to soften the hard unctuous matter which 

 has collected on the fleece. They are then shorn without 

 any previous washing, and the wool is left in the Esquileo, 

 where it is sorted, and made ready for sale. By this ar- 

 rangement 1000 Sheep or more are shorn, with the delay of 

 only a single day. 



The Shepherds employed in tending these Sheep are cal- 

 culated to amount to 50,000, which, supposing there to be 

 ten millions of Sheep, is at the rate of 200 to each shepherd. 



