320 



The Journal of Heredity 



TABLE IV 

 Summary of Cows Registered in A ppendix A and B of Vol. 36 



Cows Registered in Aj)pcnflix A | Cows Registered in Appendix B 



* This number included 13 black cows. 



quently mention red and white, and 

 black and white, but do not give any 

 direct mention'; of Dutch cattle. No 

 writer before 1600 mentions any breed 

 that even remotely resembles the Ayr- 

 shire breed, but before 1800 the breed 

 had spread over the county of Ayr and 

 stirrounding districts. 



Before and during this period there 

 was close connection and much trade 

 with Holland. It is not unlikely that 

 many of the cattle of that country were 

 imported before 1600. That most of 

 the Ayrshires are red and white instead 

 of black and white, may be due to the 

 fact that more of the former color were 

 imported from Holland. For example, 

 many red and white cattle are still 

 found in some sections of Holland, and 

 red and white seems to have been the 

 common color of Dutch cattle before 

 1750. It may be that most of the 

 British importations were selected from 

 such cattle. It is true that there are 

 many differences between the Dutch and 

 the Ayrshire cattle of today, but these 

 diflerences might be expected from 

 differences in selection, food and en- 

 vironment during a ])eriod of several 

 centuries. 



Speir also states that the Dutch 

 I>aintings between 16(X)and 17.S0usuallN- 

 rei)resent cattle as red and white in 

 ef)l(jr, but after 1750 black and white 

 seems to have become the ])o])ular color. 



Brody'' in a very interesting discus- 

 sion of the Ayrshires, also refers to the 

 color and origin of the breed. The 

 following free quotations are taken 

 from his ]Xiper: 



"The tendency towards partial albi- 

 noism is quite pronounced in Ayrshires. 

 This is rather remarkable for the breed 

 originally was very dark colored, but 

 systematic selection for color, as prac- 

 ticed by the breeders, probably accounts 

 for the change in color. During the 

 eighteenth century only a few white 

 markings were usually found, but as 

 early as 1811 Aiton'* found that there 

 was a decided tendency towards a 

 mixture of white and brown markings. 

 That the darker colored animals were 

 previously more common is also shown 

 by the reproductions of the Ayrshires 

 of the latter part of the eighteenth 

 century as well as by the method of 

 designating the white spotted animals 

 that were employed by the breeders. 

 Cows with a white face were called 

 'bassencd,' those having white on the 

 neck 'hawked,' those having white 

 along the back or loin 'rigged' and if 

 the switch of the tail was white they 

 were called 'tagged.' This would seem 

 to indicate that if white was present at 

 all , i t was confined to c()m])arati vely small 

 areas and found on one jxirt of the 

 body onl\-. Since that time a decided 

 change has occurred with rcfenMice to 



' Brody, Dr. Ladislaus, Die Ayrshires. Mitteilungen tier Landwirtlischaftlichi-n Lchrkanzcln 

 der K. K. Ilochschule fiir Bodenkultiir in Wicn. Aug. 18, 1914. 



* Aiton, William., (".cncra! view of .Agriculture of the County of Ayr, ISll, ( ilasgow. 



