122 The Field Naturalist's Quarterly May 



black ears, muzzles, hoofs, and horn-tips. The hair is some- 

 what coarse, with a mass of curly hair between the horns in 

 both sexes. The horns of the bulls are often shorter and 

 straighter than those of the cows. The only varieties in 

 markings are either a " ticking " of black on the legs or an 

 entirely melanistic variety, and in the latter case the calf is 

 always killed. The old keeper who attends these cattle 

 explains the tradition " that there is always a death in the 

 Ferrers family when a black calf is born," by saying that the 

 fact is true enough that a black calf does portend a death, 

 but it is its own ! In habits the cows conceal their young, 

 and it is dangerous to approach too near to a cow with a 

 young calf or to get between them. The herd when 

 approached by strangers at once show alarm, and start 

 off at a gallop for a short distance and then wheel round 

 and face their supposed foe, the bulls in front, the cows 

 next, and the younger animals and calves in the rear. It is 

 scarcely necessary to say that the cows do not allow them- 

 selves to be milked. In winter, however, they all become 

 more docile, and allow their keeper to feed them in open 

 sheds erected in a sheltered ravine in the park. In summer 

 they feed upon the coarse grasses and in winter upon dried 

 bracken and coarse hay. 



In April 1851 the herd consisted of 48 head, 1 in 1873 of 

 27, in 1874 of 25, and in June 1877 of 20 animals, 2 made up 

 of 1 nine-year-old bull, 1 five-year-old bull, 1 bullock, 5 or 6 

 young bulls, 2 young bull-calves, and 9 or 10 cows and 

 heifers. At one time the number became reduced to only 

 17, this diminution being probably due to the cattle-plague 

 (rinderpest), which is said to have attacked the herd about the 

 year 1866. In May 1885 they had increased to 28, in April 1895 

 to 43, and in February 1898 the herd was in a most flourish- 

 ing condition and numbered 53 head, comprising 3 old bulls, 

 2 young bulls, 2 bull-calves, 35 old cows, 8 young cows and 

 heifers, and 3 young calves born since the beginning of that 

 year. There is a rumour that fresh blood had been intro- 

 duced into the herd about this date, no doubt accounting 



1 Extinct British Wild Animals, by J. E. Harting, p. 231. 



2 Zoologist, 1878, p. 276. 



