SCOTLAND'S SEARCHING TEST. 573 



the Ury stock, fresh blood being brought in 

 each time through the dams. Some service 

 was also had from the good bull Robin o' Day 

 (4973) of Brawith breeding. Mr. Hay had 

 brought his herd to a rare state of excellence 

 by 1850. There was no better in all Scotland. 

 In that year, along with the brothers Cruick- 

 shank, he attended the Bates dispersion where 

 he purchased, besides Waterloo 13th, the Duch- 

 ess bull Grand Duke (10284) at 205 guineas, the 

 highest-priced lot of the day. It is related that 

 before the sale began the Messrs. Cruickshank 

 had discussed with Mr. Hay the idea of a joint 

 purchase of the 4th Duke of York, which Mr. 

 Amos Cruickshank thought much the best bull 

 of the sale. Earl Ducie's opening bid of 200 

 guineas for that bull, however, scattered all op- 

 position at the start; so that the project of tak- 

 ing the bull to Scotland fell through with at 

 once. Grand Duke was a bull with rather 

 more length, both of body and leg, than the 

 Scotch breeders desired, but was used two 

 years by Mr. Hay as an experiment. It was 

 thought that he made no improvement in the 

 herd, and he was sold to S. E. Bolden of Eng- 

 land at the original purchase price. In Bol- 

 den's herd he proved more successful and was 

 ultimately sold to America at $5,000. The 

 Booth bull Red Knight (11967), from Killerby, 

 was next in line. He had been first as a two- 



