CATTLE 



995 



value : they chiefly represent seeds of Cheiiopodium alhum L. and Cruci- 

 ferae rich in oil, which it might be profitable to burn after mixing with coal. 



771 - Spotted Asses. — Jenks Albert Ernest, in The Jounial ni Heredity, Vol. \'II, 

 Xo 4, pp. i63-iri8, 2 figs. Washington, D. C, Ajiril I'ud. 



W^'ild specimens of domestic breeds, and the wild species most nearly 

 related to domestic animals, are spotted in a typical or specific wa}', but it 

 is rare for these markings to be white. On the other hand, domestic and 

 pet animals show white spots in almost all species. This white spotting, 

 however, has rarely been reported up to the present for the Asiatic elephant 

 [Elc pirns indicus) and the dromedary'' [Camclusdrnmcdarii(.s.) The writernever 

 found it reported of the donkey in the literature of the subject. He there- 

 fore describes some cases of white spots on a grey coat or black on a white 

 coat which he observed in the United vStates (Arizona) and in Italy (Naples 

 and environs). It should be noted that the 3 species rarely spotted white, 

 namely the elephant, the dromedary and the ass, have been much less sub- 

 ject to selective breeding than the majority- of the other domestic species. 

 They exhibit only a small number of breeds. This confirms the idea that 

 hybridisation by selection is an important factor in the formation of white 

 spots in domestic animals. 



HORSES 



.'iSSES 



AND JffULES 



772 - The " Miranda " Breed of Cattle (Braganza, Portugal). — Cruz shepperd, in Re- 

 vista de Medicina Veterinaria, 14th Year, Xu. 168, pp. 331-360. Lisbon, February 1916. 



The special environmental conditions of the place of origin of the Por- 

 tuguese " Mirandes? " breed of cattle, namely, isolation and scarcity of 

 forage, have imparted great purity to it, together with the characteristic 

 of furnishing particularly fine working animals. Together with the ' ' Brava ", 

 " Landaise", " Charolaise " and " Sicilian" breeds, it forms the Iberian 

 stock, originating from Bos pn'migciiius. P'rom it there have been derived 

 b}' progressive adaptation to different environments, the sub-races 

 i) " Braganza" ; 2) " Beira"; 3) " Mirandes estremenho " or " Ratinho 

 serrano " which form almost the whole of the cattle stock of Estremadura ; 

 and 4) " Jarmelo ", a breed specially noticeable for its excellent milk-pro- 

 ducing capacity. 



By improving the pasturage, it will be easy to make the " Mirandes? " 

 breed excellent for meat and milk production, in addition to its working 

 powers. Cattle of this breed are now being exported in large numbers 

 to vSpain, where they are fattened for slaughter. Their principal character- 

 istics are : straight profile of head, straight medium sized horns, neck short 

 and thick, chest wide, very high and deep, shoulders muscular, back slightly 

 arched, rump higher than the withers, paunch regular, hips projecting, 

 low insertion of tail, limbs long bony, often badly balanced, coat chestnut 

 more or less dark, with a light yellow strip along the line of the back, from 

 the withers to the base of the tail and darker in the bull than in the cow. 



