814 ON THE POLLED ANGUS OR ABERDEEN 



well-bred, healthy, and free from patchiness, and when fed are 

 alike noted for'- making heavy weights and maturing early. 

 Animals from what is called the improved breed have been tried 

 at Easter Tulloch, but although they look promising as indivi- 

 duals, their progeny have not done well for Mr Scott. 



5. The Drumin Herd. — This herd, the property of Mr William 

 M. Skinner, has of late years risen into considerable repute. 

 Long before the introduction of pedigreed stock, a useful herd of 

 polled cattle was kept at Drumin. The first purchase of the 

 improved race was a pair of black heifers from the Mains of 

 Kelly. These turned out well, founded the present herd, and 

 gave birth to the Lucy and Beauty tribes. The former is the 

 most strongly represented at Drumin. It traces back to a good 

 old stock, in which the blood of the Keillor and Portlethen tribes 

 is largely mingled. 



The Beauty tribe has also many points of excellence. Beauty 

 of Di^umin was the first of the family which showed great 

 merit, and after winning many prizes and doing much service as 

 a breeder in the herd, she was eventually sold to the Marquis of 

 Huntly for 60 guineas. Mr Skinner next purchased three 

 heifers from ^Morayshire. These heifers founded three races, 

 known as the Eliza. Heatherbell, and Catherine tribes. The first 

 of these, says the " Herd-Book," sprang from " a pure Aberdeen- 

 shire cow, bred at Dandaleith." Eliza of Drumin, now eight 

 years old, is a fine cow, and has often taken the first card of 

 honour. Her dauohter Foroet-me-not has won firsts at the 

 Speyside shows from her early calf hood, and is a well-framed, 

 fashionable animal. Members of the race of Heatherbell have 

 also often stood first in the contest for ribbons, and are possessed 

 of many distinguishing points of merit. The third of the 

 Morayshire heifers founded the tribe now represented by 

 Catherine, a fine seven-vear-old cow. 



Xew strains have recently been added from Portlethen and 

 Eothiemay, and the herd, altogether numbering about 55, is one 

 of the most select, thriving, and profitable to be found in the 

 country. 



The first bull that brought much merit to the herd was 

 Defiance, out of Charlotte (203), Mr M'Combie's excellent cow, 

 which took the first prize at Inverness in 1846, and the first prize 

 and gold medal at Paris in 1856. Xext came Marshal (399), a 

 Tillyfour bull, which gave the herd size and constitution ; after- 

 wards Disraeli from Tillyfour ; then Clansman and Talisman 

 both from Ptothiemay. The former gained many prizes, and was 

 most serviceable at Drumin. The stock bulls now are Adrian 

 2d, a broad, deep, shortlegged bull ; and Byron, a Drumin 

 descendant from the Catherine tribe. 

 . The characteristics of the herd are size, fleshiness, and superior 



