27 



" On the Origin of our Domestic Breeds of Cattle," b}^ 

 Wm. Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S. 



Mr. Boyd Dawk ins then made some remarks on the 

 origin of our domestic cattle. There are at the present time 

 three well marked forms inhabiting Great Britain. 1. The 

 hornless cattle, which have lost the horns Avhich their 

 ancestors possessed through the selection of the breeder. 

 The polled Galloway cattle, for instance, are the result of 

 the care taken by the grandfather of the present Earl of 

 Selkirk, in only breeding from bulls with the shortest horns. 

 The hornless is altogether an artificial form, and may be 

 developed in any breed. 2. The Bos longifrons, or the 

 small black or dark brown Welsh and Scotch cattle, which 

 are remarkable for their short horns and the delicacy of 

 their build. 3. The red and white variegated cattle, 

 descended from the urus, and w^hich have on the whole far 

 larger horns. These two breed freely together, and conse- 

 quently it is difficult to refer some strains to their exact 

 parentage. 



The large domestic cattle of the ui'us type are represented 

 in their ancient purity by the Chillingham wild oxen, as 

 they are generally termed, but the exact agn-eement of their 

 colour with that specified in the laws of Howel Dha proves 

 that they are descended from an ancient domestic cream- 

 coloured ox with red ears. The animal was introduced by 

 the English invaders of Roman Britain, and was unknown 

 in our country daring the Roman occupation. 



The Bos longifrons, on the other hand, was the sole ox 

 which was domestic in Britain during the Roman occupa- 

 tion, and in the remote times out of the reach of history it 

 was kept in herds by the users of bronze, and before that 

 by the users of polished stone. This is proved conclusively 

 by the accumulations of bones in the dwelling places and the 

 tombs of those long-forgotten races of men. 



The present distribution of the two breeds agrees almost 



