PURITY AND QUALITY OF THE BREED 213 



and that there is a strong presumption that they are the 

 most direct descendants of the small-sized, short-horned, 

 dark-coloured representatives of the Bos longifrons, which, 

 being the earliest domesticated cattle of Great Britain, were 

 the milch cows of the Druids. They are found clinging to 

 existence on the fringes of civilisation in out-of-the-way 

 corners, where they and the associated Druidical remains 

 would naturally meet with least interference during the many 

 disturbances which overwhelmed, and destroyed or altered the 

 features of the more accessible interior of the country. In 

 the colour of some West Highland cattle there is a very 

 striking resemblance to the fawn of certain specimens of the 

 Islands breeds, more especially to the yellowish-fawn of the 

 Guernsey. , 



Jersey cattle have been bred practically pure for a longer 

 period than any of our British varieties, on account of the 

 importation of foreign cattle to the island being forbidden by 

 law. "Acts of the States of Jersey," dated 1763. 1789, 1826, 

 1864, and 1878, detail severe prohibitive penalties against the 

 fraudulent importation of cattle from France, with the object 

 of excluding disease, preserving the purity of the breed, and 

 fostering the export of Jersey cattle to England. 



Jersey cattle degenerated during the first three decades 

 of the nineteenth century. The great revival of the breed 

 was brought about by the formation, in the autumn of 1833, 

 of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society, 

 to the efforts of which, through its stringent regulations with 

 regard to the qualities which an animal must possess before 

 registration or receiving the stamp or decoration of merit, is 

 due, in the first instance, the marked improvement which took 

 place soon after that time. 



Many have taken part in the work as breeders, but the 

 two grand old men of Jersey cattle fame are Colonel le 

 Couteur and, following him, Colonel le Cornu, whose far- 

 seeing wisdom and untiring devotion to the best interests of 

 the breed have done so much to secure its present enviable 

 position in competition with other dairy cattle. Among its 

 claims to superiority is the freedom of Jersey Island cattle from 

 tuberculosis. A few Guernseys are admitted to have been 

 affected, but it is believed that the disease has been stamped 

 out. In some highly bred strains of Jersey cattle the very 



