52 WILD WHITE CATTLE 



six heifers and six bulls. The 1903 calf was still-born, 

 and the cow was too fat to breed in 1904. The breeding 

 stock of two animals has been kept up by preserving the 

 male calf of 1892, the first born in the Gardens (which was 

 bred to his mother), and that of 1898 (the present bull), and 

 the heifer calf of 1900 (the present cow). All the others 

 born alive before 1905 (we say it with regret) were slaughtered, 

 in accordance with the conditions imposed by the donors. 

 This embargo having been removed, the bull calf dropped in 

 April 1905 was sent to the Duke of Bedford to mate with 

 the remnant of Chartley Park cattle that reached Woburn 

 that year. The old bull is reported to be wild and rather 

 dangerous, but not to appearance more so than bulls of tame 

 breeds often are at his age. The cow is tame, and submits 

 willingly to be scratched about the neck through the iron 

 railings, but she is not to be trusted in the box unless the 

 attendant holds a fork in his hand for defence. Both have 

 abundant coats of hair the bull very curly about the neck. 



In the report of the Committee appointed by the British 

 Association to investigate the herds of wild white cattle in 

 Great Britain (Zoologist, November 1887), tne following 

 important suggestion was made, which, it is to be hoped, 

 may yet be carried out : 



" It would be extremely interesting if the noble owners of 

 the three [sic] ancient herds would co-operate with some 

 other owner of a large park if haply such could be found 

 willing to undertake the following experiment, namely, 

 that all calves which would ordinarily be converted into veal 

 or steers, should instead be sent to build up a new herd, 

 which, combining the blood of the only remaining ancient 

 herds, and with no artificial selection exercised, might be 

 expected to revert more nearly to the aboriginal wild type 

 than could be achieved in any other manner." 



