278 Mr. L. Hindmarsh on the 



" Of their tenacity of life the following is an instance : — 

 " An old bull being to be killed, one of the keepers had proceeded 

 to separate him from the rest of the herd, which were feeding in the 

 outer park. This the bull resenting, and having been frustrated in 

 several attempts to join them by the keeper interposing (the latter 

 doing it incautiously), the bull made a rush at him and got him down ; 

 he then tossed him three several times, and afterwards knelt down 

 upon him and broke in several of his ribs. There being no other 

 person present but a boy, the only assistance that could be given him 

 was by letting loose a deer-hound, belonging to Lord Ossulston, who 

 immediately attacked the bull, and, by biting his heels, drew him off 

 the man, and eventually saved his life. The bull, however, never left 

 the keeper, but kept continually watching and returning to him, giving 

 him a toss from time to time. In this state of things, and while the 

 dog, with singular sagacity and courage, was holding the bull at bay, 

 a messenger came up to the castle, when all the gentlemen came out 

 with their rifles and commenced a fire upon the bull, principally by 

 a steady good marksman from behind a fence, at the distance of 25 

 yards ; but it was not till six or seven balls had actually entered the 

 head of the animal (one of them passing in at the eye) that he at last 

 fell. During the whole time he never flinched nor changed his ground, 

 merely shaking his head as he received the several shots. 



" Many more stories might be told of hair-breadth escapes, acci- 

 dents of sundry kinds, and an endless variety of peculiar habits obser- 

 vable in these animals, as more or less in all animals existing in a wild 

 state ; but I think I have recapitulated nearly all that my memory 

 suggests to me as most deserving of notice, and will only add that if 

 you continue in the intention of preparing a paper to be read before 

 the approaching scientific assemblage at Newcastle on this subject, 

 you are welcome to append this letter to it as containing all the in- 

 formation which I am able to give. 



" I have the pleasure, &c. &c, 



- To L. Hindmarsh, Esq." " Tankerville." 



To this very interesting and graphic description little need 

 be added, except a few particulars gathered from Mr. Cole, 

 who has been park-keeper upwards of 30 years. At present 

 there are about 80 in the herd, comprising 25 bulls, 40 cows, 

 and 15 steers, of various ages ; and no sight can be more beau- 

 tiful than they were in the month of June last, when we saw 

 them retreating in regular order into their forest sanctuary. 



