before they are let out of the folds. Each shepherd is accountable for his flock; and when any are missing through his negligence, is liable to have their value deducted from his wages.

While the shepherds of Spain are said to be so much attached to their own occupation that they could follow no other, in New South Wales the reverse is the case: although sheep cause the principal demand for labour in the interior, the majority of working men are averse to shepherding, as long as any other employment is to be got. It is remarkable that there is a feeling among them that it is the lowest sort of labour: stock-keepers, bullockdrivers, and farming-men of all kinds, though not receiving more, and frequently less wages than the shepherds on the same establishment, all consider their own line as in some way superior to that of the shepherd.

A shepherd's life in the interior of New South Wales is, it must be confessed, monotonous and uninviting in the extreme; a more unpoetical one can hardly be, in spite of Theocritus and Virgil: and it is the usual complaint of men who have followed sheep for any length of time, that the listlessness and inactivity produced by their mode of life gradually, but surely, unfits them for any other more laborious occupation.

The appearance of a sheep-station is but little in its favour; there are no "improvements" beyond a mere hut, and perhaps a small and ill-constructed milking-yard; the grass is almost invariably cropped off close to the roots for some distance round, giving a faded and barren appearance to the whole exterior; while the ground in the immediate vicinity of the hut is strewed with bits of sheepskin, strips of bullock-hide, and broken hurdles. Nor can much more be said for the comforts of the interior; its inmates, from sheer laziness, seldom care to make themselves even as comfortable as they might, or pay much attention to the cleanliness of their abodes; while it is remarkable that cattlestations, occupied by men of a precisely similar stamp, and not better paid, are almost always comparatively neat and clean, and frequently very comfortable.

Shepherds are also more affected by the restless love of change than any other class of labouring men in the colony; a sheepowner is seldom troubled with the necessity of raising his men's wages on the score of long service; and upon making inquiries

into the condition of a shepherd, you usually find that he is just then thinking of "bettering himself," by trying a new situation, or returning to an old one.

Their wages, however, are high-about 251. per annum, with ample rations; so that steady men can generally lay by a considerable sum in the course of a few years. Married couples, with two or three boys old enough to work, can hire with sheepowners upon the most favourable terms, as they can engage to shepherd and watch two flocks of sheep; they thus receive the pay of three men, and are rendered more than usually comfortable by having the use of a station to themselves.

Many stories were circulated in our neighbourhood to the prejudice of lazy shepherds, which was the epithet usually substituted for "gentle." It was said that a new comer to the country, travelling alone, lost his way, and fell in with three shepherds as they were lying at ease upon the plain, to whom he applied for information, with the stimulus of half-a-crown; but this, far from rousing them to the exertion he anticipated, merely extracted a few words from the first, a jerk of the elbow from the second, and from the third an inclination of the head in the right direction. Being a whimsical man, or thinking that where there was no industry to be had its opposite should be encouraged, he produced the reward with the intention of bestowing it on the most indolent of the three. The first man jumped up to receive it; the second held out his hand; while the third-he of the nod-merely pointing to his pocket, and saying, "Put it in here, master," received the reward, as the laziest of the lazy.

The most interesting time to the sheep-owner is the close of the year, though he may then expect to have his hands full of work, of which in a bush life there is no equable distribution; at one time there is a dearth of it, at another a superabundance. It is, however, merry Christmas in the bush of Australia, as in England, though in a different way. There is no wassailing, or gathering round the fire, with the thermometer at 90 and 100; but the approach of Christmas brings with it the harvest, and, most important of all, "the clip;" the shearing months being October, November, and December, varying with the climate in different parts of the colony.

Previously to shearing, in order to provide for the wants of the additional number of men employed, it is necessary to lay in an extra stock of supplies; by which, in bush parlance, are meant tea, sugar, tobacco, wheat, and beef, in addition to wool-packs, sheep-shears, and all other requisites for the "getting up" of the wool for sale.

Shearers are usually paid by the score, the price varying at different seasons from 2s. 6d. to 4s., according to the value of wool, and the demand for labour at the time. Out of this the shearer has to find his own rations and shears, which he purchases from the stores of his employer. It is also customary to allow the men two or three glasses of rum, both at the times of washing and shearing; in the latter case no unreasonable allowance, as they have to remain stationary in the water for several hours together.

The number of sheep daily shorn by professed shearers varies from 50 to 80. A man seldom " goes out" to shear if he cannot do at least as many as the former number, as he would lose by his contract. Now and then very fast shearers are met with, who can get through as many as 120 a-day; but these are very apt to work in a slovenly manner, and require such constant overlooking on this account, that they are often more troublesome than useful. A man who in one day can cut 80 fleeces properly is a very good shearer, and as fast as can be safely depended on.

The proprietor or overseer stands in the wool-shed during the whole time of shearing, and keeps account of the number shorn by each man, who, as he finishes his sheep, takes care to signify it to his employer; of whose business it is not the least important part to keep a sharp eye on each man, to prevent " racing," as in their endeavours to outshear each other they are apt to skip the wool nearest the skin, or, as it is called, the "bottom wool," which is the hardest to cut, but the most weighty and valuable. This trick they are certain to practise when under the eyes of some inexperienced man, or new chum," who is thus an unconscious sufferer.

66

Whenever a fresh lot of sheep are put into the shearing-yards, there is at first a great deal of picking and choosing, each shearer aiming to get those sheep which have the lightest and most open

fleeces. The most closely-woolled animals are consequently left to the last; and it is curious to watch the manœuvres by which some tough-coated old wether is studiously avoided, as if by general consent.

As soon as the fleece is taken off, it is laid upon the "foldingtable," which merely consists of some bars of light wood, set in a frame, and after being shaken, so as to let the dirt and coarser outside pieces of wool fall through on a heap underneath, (which is afterwards put together, and sold under the denomination of "clippings,") it is folded up neatly, and set aside to be ready for the press, which is in full operation throughout the day.

Australian wool is liable to be injured by the seed of the long grass, which is very troublesome just before shearing-time. To avoid this is a very essential part of the sheepowner's care, as the value of the fleece is greatly deteriorated thereby, for it cannot be wholly extracted by any subsequent process.

It is usually desirable to get the wool down to Sydney as soon as possible, as the price is apt to fall towards the close of the season; and it is therefore seldom kept upon a station after shearing any longer than the time occupied in loading the drays, mustering the working oxen, and making the various preparations necessary for a journey of perhaps two or three hundred miles. Each dray, drawn by eight or ten oxen, carries from fifteen to twenty bales of wool; the average weight of the whole load being about two tons. Horse-teams are sometimes used, chiefly near the capital, and on the farms in its vicinity; but, for long journeys, oxen are generally preferred. The former have the advantage of greater speed, especially in dry weather; but the latter have more power of resistance, and can better endure a long journey with wool, which, from the great height of the bales, sways very much from side to side in broken parts of the road, and is consequently a very fatiguing load. Horses are also less used on account of their greater value, which makes the loss of one or two of them a comparatively serious matter; and, in the long journeys from the interior, accidents may always be expected.

The bush-dray, the only vehicle used in New South Wales for the conveyance of wool and other produce, is open and low, more rese:nbling a brewer's dray than any other description of

dray known in England. The pole and wheels, on which the most stress is laid, are made of the toughest wood of the colony, generally of box, or of "iron-bark." The other parts are of lighter wood. The bed of the dray is formed of broad slabs, placed about eight inches apart, as small articles are seldom carried on it. There are no sides, but upright pins and low guards of iron are placed at the corners and edges; to which a bulky load, such as wool, is fastened by the additional security of ropes or a wooden frame; while in wet weather a tarpawling is thrown over the whole.

In some districts, chiefly in the vicinity of Bathurst, shaft-drays are used; but pole-drays are found to be more suitable to the nature of the country. The price of a good pole-dray is about 147., exclusive of harness for the oxen.

During the long journeys to and from the capital, each team is entrusted to the charge of two men-the bullock-driver and his assistant, or 66 mate." These men, though they are in truth usually good customers at the wayside public-houses, have no need to visit them during their whole journey, as they can carry with them their own supplies, and every requisite for a journey of several months.

The life they lead is thoroughly independent. At the end of their daily stage of from twelve to sixteen miles, they draw up towards evening at a little distance from the road, in the vicinity of water and grass for their cattle, which require no additional food, and, from hunger and the fatigue of their day's work, are little inclined to ramble far before daybreak; by which time the driver is again upon their track, as an early start is half the battle, especially during the wool-season, when the summer's heat often necessitates a halt at noon. When two of these drays are travelling in company, one "mate" is sufficient for both, as his chief employment is merely to cook the meals, and take care of the drays in the morning while the drivers are absent in search of their oxen.

The men all sleep under the drays at night, when the ends of the tarpawling, which are rolled up during the day, are let down on all sides, and form a protection from the weather. The appearance of several drays, thus grouped together, is not unlike that of an encampment of gipsies.

E