Chap. XX. BY THE ANCIENTS. 187 



Romans kept pedigrees of tlieir pigeons, and this wonld have 

 been a senseless proceeding had not great care been taken in 

 breeding them. Columella gives detailed instructions about 

 breeding fowls : " Let the breeding hens therefore be of a 

 choice colour, " a robust body, square-built, full- breasted, vv^ith 

 " large heads, with upright and bright-red combs. Those 

 " are believed to be the best bred which have five toes." ^^ 

 According to Tacitus, the Celts attended to the races of their 

 domestic animals ; and Ceesar states that they paid high 

 prices to merchants for fine imported horses.^** In regard to 

 plants, Virgil speaks of yearly culling the largest seeds ; and 

 Celsus says, " where the corn and crop is but small, we must 

 pick out the best ears of corn, and of them lay up our seed 

 separately by itself." ^^ 



Coming down the stream of time, we may be brief. At 

 about the beginning of the ninth century Charlemagne 

 expressly ordered his officers to take great care of his stallions ; 

 and if any proved bad or old, to forewarn him in good time 

 before they were put to the mares.*^ Even in a country so 

 little civilised as Ireland during the ninth century, it would 

 appear from some ancient verses,*^ describing a ransom 

 demanded by Cormac, that animals from particular places, 

 or having a particular character, were valued. Thus it 

 is said, — 



Two pigs of the pigs of Mac Lir, 



A ram and ewe both round and red, 



I brought with me from Aeugus. 



1 brought with me a stallion and a mare 



From the beautiful stud of Manannan, 



A bull and a white cow from Druim Cain. 



Athelstan, in 930, received running-horses as a present from 

 Germany ; and he prohibited the exportation of English 

 horses. King John imported " one hundred chosen stallions 

 from Flanders." ^^ On June 16th, 1305, the Prince of Wales 



" 'Gardener's Chronicle,' 1848, p. *^ Sir W. Wilde, an 'Essay on Un- 



323. manufactured Animal Remains,' &c., 



»* Reynier, ' De I'Economie des 1860, p. 1 1. 



Celtes,' 1818, pp. 487, 503. « Col. Hamilton Smith, 'Nat. 



^^ Le Couteur on Wheat, p. 15. Library,' vol. xii., Horses, pp. 135, 



*« Michel, ' Des Haras,' 1861, p. 84, 140. 



