As I journeyed thru the Languedoc-Roussillon province of France, I encountered curious, oddly-shaped stone huts perched on hillsides. Most of these hillsides were covered with grapevines or olive trees. The huts appear to be made without mortar, just stones piled artfully on top of each other. I speculated on their use and concluded that possibly they were used to house tools, equipment, etc...Some of them were placed in rather remote locations of the hills. My curiousity got the best of me so I decided to research them online. Here is what I learned. The huts are called "orris" in French and are used to shelter herders. During the cooler months the livestock are grazed at lower elevations and closer to home. In late spring the herds must move higher to get more grazing land and it becomes much cooler at night. The orris provide shelter for the herdsman from these cooler temperatures. In recent times they have also been used to store and/or age cheeses. The mystery is solved!