504 British Association. 



was a very ancient park, belonging formerly to Devereux, 

 Earl of Essex, who built the bridge on the Trent, to commu- 

 nicate with his chace at Channock, and Beaudesert, then be- 

 longing to him ; and the belief is, that these cattle had been 

 there from time immemorial. With respect to their habits, it 

 is probable that you will learn more from Cole, who has now 

 been park-keeper at Chillingham for many years, than from 

 any information I can give. I can mention, however, some 

 particulars. They have, in the first place, pre-eminently, all 

 the characteristics of wild animals, with some peculiarities 

 that are sometimes very curious and amusing. They hide their 

 young, feed in the night, basking or sleeping during the day; 

 — they are fierce when pressed, but, generally speaking, very 

 timorous, moving off on the appearance of any one, even at a 

 great distance. Yet, this varies very much in different sea- 

 sons of the year, according to the manner in which they are 

 approached. In summer, I have been for several weeks at a 

 time without getting a sight of them, — they, on the slightest 

 appearance of any one, retiring into a wood, which serves 

 them as a sanctuary. On the other hand, in winter, when 

 coming down for food into the inner park, and being in con- 

 tact with the people, they will let you almost come among 

 them, particularly if on horseback. But then they have also 

 a thousand peculiarities. They will be feeding sometimes 

 quietly, when if any one appear suddenly near them, — parti- 

 cularly coming down the wind, they will be struck with a sud- 

 den panic, and gallop off, running one after another, and never 

 stopping till they get into their sanctuary. It is observable 

 of them as of red deer, that they have a peculiar faculty of 

 taking advantage of the irregularities of the ground, so that 

 on being disturbed, they may traverse the whole park, and yet 

 you hardly get a sight of them. Their usual mode of retreat 

 is to get up slowly, set off in a walk, then a trot, and seldom 

 begin to gallop till they have put the ground between you 

 and them in the manner that I have described. In form they 

 are beautifully shaped, short legs, straight back, horns of a 

 very fine texture, thin skin, so that some of the bulls appear 

 of a cream colour ; and they have a cry, more like that of a 

 wild beast, than that of ordinary cattle. With all the marks 

 of high breeding, they have also some of its defects. They 

 are bad breeders, and are much subject to the rush, a com- 

 plaint common to animals bred in and in, which is unques- 

 tionably the case with these as long as we have any account 

 of them. When they come down into the lower part of the 

 park, which they do at stated hours, they move like a regi- 

 ment of cavalry in single jfiles, the bulls leading the van, as in 



