LECTURE XVI. 



ABERDEEN ANGUS. 



Their Origin, History and Development in Great Britain. 



While the researches of naturalists have clearly shown 

 that the original wild types of cattle were horned, it is none 

 the less true that polled cattle have existed in Scotland for 

 a time beyond the memory of man. How or when the polled 

 character was established we know not, but in the light of 

 the establishment of other hornless breeds, it is a legitimate 

 supposition that the polled character arose by the preserva- 

 tion of a "sport" (one of those occasional freaks of nature) 

 by man, and by judicious selection of animals possessing the 

 polled character as transmitted by the "sport." 



Certain it is that up to the year 1830, two distinct classes 

 of polled cattle existed in the district of Buchan, Scotland; 

 and that these polled cattle constituted about one-half the 

 cattle of the district, the remainder being horned black cat- 

 tle, similar to the polled cattle in general characteristics. 



These two classes of polled cattle were quite distinct. 

 The smaller kind were black, usually thin-fleshed, rather 

 puny and poorly kept, as they belonged to the poorer classes, 

 or crofters. The larger variety of polls were not so uniform 

 in color, some being black, others brown and brindled. They 

 belonged to the well-to-do, and were better kept. 



About the close of the 18th Century, and during the 

 early part of the 19th, Shorthorn cattle were securing 

 a strong foothold in Scotland, and it is stated by the 

 best authorities, that Shorthorn bulls were freely used on 

 the polled breeds. The larger class of polls soon showed 

 the results of Shorthorn blood in color and horns; but the 

 smaller variety was evidently much purer, as they retained 

 the polled character, and black or blue gray color to the 

 second, and even to the third cross of Shorthorn blood. The 



