If you had the opportunity to observe a herringbone milking parlour from above, you'd see how it got its name.

In this parlour, the milking machines are positioned in the middle - the 'spine' of the fish - between two aisles with room for the cows. The cows come into the parlour and line up between each 'fish bone', creating two rows of cows.

The farm team moves up and down in a sunken pit, attaching the milking machine from the side, at the level of the cow's udder.