86 A HISTORY OF SHORT-HORN CATTLE. 



John Stephenson of Wolviston had a roan bull 

 so descended, and he lost no time in looking 

 him up. His purchase of Duchess 1st at the 

 Ketton sale on account of her breeding rather 

 than her individual merit illustrated his unfal- 

 tering faith in the doctrine that "blood will 

 tell." With this case in mind it is reasonably 

 certain, in view of the trouble he was now in 

 with his Duchesses, that Bates went over to 

 Wolviston prepared to buy this precious Prin- 

 cess bull "the last of a long race of well-de- 

 scended Short-horns" fairly regardless of the 

 appearance of the animal himself. At any rate 

 we are told that on passing by the bull-barn 

 the "head of Belvedere (1706) for such was his 

 name and herd-book number was visible, and 

 that the moment Bates caught sight of it he 

 expressed a positive determination to secure 

 the bull. Not every man will buy a breeding 

 bull solely for the blood that flows in his veins. 

 Still less would the average man be likely to 

 settle so important a matter by a mere glimpse 

 of a bull's countenance. Bates had his own 

 peculiar ideas about breeding, however. He 

 was not governed by the ordinary rules observed 

 by his contemporaries, and his swift decision 

 to buy at any price this roan bull at Wolviston 

 evidently made as soon as Stephenson had 

 told him how Belvedere was bred, and before 

 he had seen the bull at all may be cited as 



