West Highland Cattle 



355 



Of the pure Scotch breeds, that known as 

 the West Highland, though not now so 

 numerous as it once was, nor so highly prized 

 as some of the southern breeds, deserves 

 special attention, not only on account of its 

 being the original breed of the west and a 

 great part of the north of Scotland, but also 

 on account of its importance in point of 

 numbers, its quality, its food, and its 

 value as a breed to cross with. It is 

 very difficult to trace the origin of any 

 distinct breed of cattle, because climate, soil, 

 mode of treatment, and other conditions 

 combine, through time, in impressing special 

 physical characteristics ; but there can be 

 no doubt that the horned, shaggy, hardy, and 

 comparatively small breed of cattle, now best 

 knoAvn as the West Highland, has for ages 

 been the breed peculiar to the mountainous 

 districts of Scotland, although it is now 

 chiefly confined to' the counties of Argyll, 

 Inverness, Perth, and Dumbarton, if "con- 

 fined" is a word which can properly be 

 applied to so extensive a territory and so 

 untamed a breed. A well-bred animal, of 

 almost any species, is a pleasing object; but 

 there are perhaps few animals familiarly 

 known to us so graceful in form, colour, and 

 movement as a thoroughly well-bred Highland 

 ox or heifer. In form it possesses all the 

 characteristics so much and so justly prized 

 in the shorthorn — the straight back, the 

 short legs, the broad chest, the breadth of 

 loin and depth of rib, and, in short, the 

 " squareness " and solidity of form, which 

 always imply weight, whether in man or 

 beast ; while the noble branching horns, 

 the fine, full, and fearless eye, the short, 

 broad, well-bred muzzle, the shaggy coat of 

 richest black, or red, or dun, or brindled 

 colour, impart a picturesqueness which is 

 still further enhanced by that grace and 

 deliberation of movement so distinctive of 

 all animals reared in perfect freedom. All 

 these characteristics of the breed are fre- 

 quently found in the Highland oxen exhibited 

 at our Christmas shows ; but there the most 

 attractive appearance does not carry the 

 prize. The more sentimental and less earthy 

 points, however much they may denote purity 



of breed, are overlooked by matter-of-fact 

 judges of fat stock, and the prize goes — very 

 properly perhaps — to the fattest, but not to 

 the finest beast. 



The largest folds of Highland cattle are 

 in the islands of Uist and Skye ; but in all 

 the islands of the west coast of Scotland this 

 is the breed almost exclusively reared, and 

 in no other part of the country are its lead- 

 ing characteristics so fully developed. The 

 nature of the pasturage, the moist climate, 

 and the comparatively mild winters conse- 

 quent on vicinity to the sea, produce hair 

 and horn such as the more inland pastures 

 of Perthshire can never rival ; but, on the 

 other hand, the inland pastures are supposed 

 to conduce more to the growth of bone than 

 do the island and seaboard pastures, and 

 consequently the cattle reared in the inland 

 districts are generally much heavier. Per- 

 haps one of the finest herds ever seen in 

 Scotland was in the island of Harris, thirty 

 or forty years ago, in the possession of 

 Messrs Donald and Archibald Stewart, who, 

 by judicious mixing of the best blood that 

 could be got in the counties of Inverness, 

 Argyll, and Perth in their day, cultivated the 

 breed to notable perfection ; and their three- 

 year-old oxen of large size, with horns like 

 buffaloes and hair like goats, used to attract 

 great attention in the districts through which 

 they were usually driven to Falkirk Tryst. 

 This herd is now chiefly represented by that 

 of Mr John Stewart, at Duntulm, in Skye, 

 whose cattle always carry high honours at 

 the national shows. Mr Macdonald, Balran- 

 ald, in Uist, owns perhaps the largest fold of 

 pure Highlanders in Scotland, there being 

 above a hundred breeding cows with their 

 followers. This fold is of long standing and 

 of great note, both as to numbers and quality. 

 They are not heavy cattle, but fresh blood 

 from the best Perthshire herds has been of 

 late introduced, which will no doubt im- 

 prove the stock in weight. Capt. Macdonald, 

 of Waternish, in Skye, and Dr M'Gillivray, 

 in Barra, have large and well-managed herds 

 of fine cattle. Lord Colonsay had, in Colon- 

 say, a well-bred herd of long standing, which 

 has lately been dispersed under a change of 



