EXPLANATION OF THE CAUSE. 193 



CAUSE OF THE ESCUTCHEON. 



The escutcheon was so called, we presume, from its simi- 

 larity to the shape of a shield ; and, on a first-class cow, the 

 lower part of it will be very like it, or somewhat like a 

 round-pointed shovel. On this escutcheon the hair will be 

 generally of a different color from that bordering it, most 

 generally rather darker, always shorter, and more nearly 

 resembling fur. It thus becomes the outward sign of the 

 milking and generative qualities of any cow, of any breed, 

 that all may see and understand. 



Why this escutcheon is placed there, why it varies on 

 different cows, and what causes it, has not yet been posi- 

 tively settled. My own impression is, that, tracing cause 

 and effect, it is the sign of vigor and constitution in the 

 animal. If she is perfectly formed, im good health, she will 

 generally be a good eater and good milker : these points 

 develop the blood-vessels and the mammary glands largely. 

 As the arterial vessels terminate in veins, the more vigorous 

 the animal, the larger the veins, and the more widely they 

 ramify ; and, as they lay under the skin, they cause the hair 

 to grow in a contrary direction. We present the statements 

 of the ablest authorities, which tend to bear us out in our 

 conviction. 



Monsieur Magne, who early developed Guenon's system, 

 accounted for the connection of the escutcheon with the flow 

 of milk in that the hair turns in the direction in which the 

 arteries ramify, and that the reversed hair on the udder and 

 adjacent parts indicates the termination of the arteries which 

 supply the udder with blood. When these arteries are large, 

 they are not confined to the udder, but extend down through 

 it, and upward and outward, ramifying on the skin beyond 

 the udder, giving the hair the peculiar appearance which 

 distinguishes it from the rest of the surface. If the arteries 

 supplying the udder with blood are very small, they are not 

 likely to extend much beyond the udder, and hence form a 

 very small escutcheon : hence a small escutcheon indicates 

 a feeble supply of blood to the udder, and consequently a 

 small flow of milk. 



This is the most likely explanation of these marks, and it 

 is confirmed by the experience of each member of the Penn- 



