THE KYLOE, OR HIGHLAND OX. 151 



Upon a close comparison of these two breeds, there 

 appears not to be so much difference between the Highland 

 cattle and the cattle of Chillingham as there is between 

 any two breeds or varieties of British cattle. Indeed so 

 great is the similarity, that the Kyloe appears to be only 

 a black variety of the Chillingham Ox, and the Chillingham 

 Ox only a white variety of the Kyloe. 



Dr. Anderson speaks of having seen a kind of Highland 

 cattle which had a mane on the top of the head, of con- 

 siderable length, and a tuft between the horns that nearly 

 covered the eyes, giving them a fierce and savage aspect. 

 He likewise mentions another kind which have hair of a 

 pale lead colour, very beautiful in its appearance, and in 

 its quality as glossy and soft as silk. 



The Kyloe Oxen are natives of the Western Highlands 

 and Isles, and are commonly called the Argyleshire breed, 

 or the breed of the Isle of Skie, one of the islands attached 

 to the county of Argyle. They are generally of a dark 

 brown colour, or black, though sometimes brindled. 



The Cows of the Isle of Skie (as is recorded by Martin, 

 in his ' Description of the Western Islands of Scotland/) 

 are exposed to the rigour of the coldest seasons, and 

 become mere skeletons in the spring, many of them not 

 being able to rise from the ground without help ; but they 

 recover as the season becomes more favorable, and the 

 grass grows up ; then they acquire new beef, which is both 

 sweet and tender ; the fat and lean is not so much separated 

 in them as in other cows, but as it were larded, which 

 renders it very agreeable to the taste. A cow in this isle 

 may be twelve years old, when at the same time its beef 

 is not above four, five, or six months old. 



