EARNINGS OF SHEPHERDS. 199 

chief sheep districts the calling is often hereditary; the 
sons being employed on the same farm as their fathers, and 
the flock not infrequently passing to their charge. On some 
of the large sheep farms in the Highlands, a number 
of shepherds are kept, and each shepherd has his own 
“‘hirsel,”’ as the flock is termed in some districts, to look 
after. In all parts of Scotland a considerable portion of the 
wages are generally paidin kind. In some cases the shep- 
herds receive the whole of their wages in this form. Although 
the custom is not so prevalent as formerly, many shepherds 
havea “ pack flock,” z.c., they are allowed to keep a certain 
number of their own sheep with those oftheir employers. The 
Shepherd’s “ pack’’ is fed, clipped, washed, etc., and sold 
with his employer’s flock. The size of the shepherds’ packs 
varies in different counties and in different districts according 
to prevailing customs and to the class of sheep kept. 
Nine examples are furnished in the report of the total 
estimated income of shepherds having “ packs,” distinguish- 
ing the profit from the flock, cash wages and allowances. 
In seven out of the nine cases, the shepherds received no 
payments in cash whatever, their remuneration being 
paid entirely in kind, and it was estimated that in 1898 
tae total income of five of these seven shepherds 
was between £60 and 470, and of the other two a trifle over 
Pere ine packsiin these sevencases ‘varied from- 14 to 50 
sheep and the profit from £26 to £39, whilst the allowance 
of cottage and garden, potato ground, keep of cow, oatmeal, 
etc., brought the estimated earnings up to the above mentioned 
sums. The two men who received cash wages, amounting to 
£31 and £20 respectively, had flocks numbering about a 
dozen sheep each, from which profits of £18 and £26 were 
obtained, while similar allowances brought up their total 
earnings to £74 or £75 per annum. 
In the above cases it must be recollected that no deduction 
has been made for interest on capital invested in the pack or 
for contingencies. | 
The above instances of individual cases of shepherds with 
pack flocks show higher earnings than the average of those 
whose wages are mostly paid in cash. The total earnings 
KK 
