384 A HISTORY OF SHORT-HORN CATTLE. 



Mr. Bolden had sold in 1860 twenty head of 

 Bates Waterloos at an average of 92; Sir Cur- 

 tis Lampson giving 165 guineas for Waterloo 

 .20th. In 1862 he disposed of his entire herd, 

 including the Grand Duchesses, to Mr. Ather- 

 ton, who soon afterward parted with the Grand 

 Duchess family, consisting of nine cows and 

 four bulls, to Mr. Hegan of Dawpool at private 

 sale for the lump sum of 5,000. Three of 

 these cows proved barren, and after Mr. He- 

 gan's death in 1865 the tribe by that time 

 numbering seventeen head, of which twelve 

 were females and five bulls sold at a memor- 

 able auction held at Willis' rooms in London. 

 The Thorndale bull Imperial Oxford had been 

 used in the herd and was also included in this 

 sale. It had been Mr. Hegan's desire to close 

 the lot out as a whole, and it was understood 

 that the Hon. Col. Pennant had offered 6,000 

 for the twelve females. This was perhaps the 

 first case on record where cattle were sold at 

 auction without the animals being in the pres- 

 ence of the bidders. The stock had been pre- 

 viously examined at Dawpool. 



The sale proved thoroughly sensational in 

 many respects, as is shown by the comments 

 of the London press at that time. From the 

 Illustrated News we quote : 



" A perfect bridal lunch greeted the congress of about 120 lead- 

 ing Short-horn men peers, M. P.s, clergymen and laymen who 

 attended to see the great battle at Willis' rooms over the eighteen 



