THE LIVE STOCK OF THE FARM. 



it animals of this breed for the purpose of improving the common 

 herds. 



The head of the Aberdeen Angus poll bull should not be large, but 

 handsome and neatly set on. The muzzle fine, nostrils wide, distance from 

 nostrils to eyes of moderate length ; the eyes mild, large and expressive ; 

 the poll high ; the ear of fair size, lively and well covered with hair ; the 

 throat clean, with no development of skin and flesh beneath the j;: 

 which should not be heavy ; the back pretty long to the shoulder tip, 

 and surmounted by a moderate crest. The neck should pass neatly and 

 evenly into the body, with full neck-vein. The shoulder-blades should 

 lie well backwards, fitting neatly into the body, and not lying awkwardly 

 <lde it : they should show no undue prominence on the shoulder- top, 

 on the points, or at the elbow. An upright shoulder in cattle is generally 

 accompanied by a light waist an important, and in all breeds a much 

 too common, defect. The chest should be wide and deep, so as to gi 

 plenty of room for lung development. The bosom should stand well for- 

 ward between the fore-legs, and underneath should be well covered with 

 flesh and fat. The crops should be full and level, with no falling off be- 

 hind them; the ribs well sprung, springing out, barrel-like, and neatly 

 joined to the crops and loins ; the back level and broad; the loins broad 

 and strong ; the hook-bones not too wide narrower than in an average 

 rt-horn ; the quarters long, even, and rounded, with no hollow from the 

 the tail. The tail should come neatly out of the body, not too far 

 up the back, and not higher at the root than the line of the back. A 

 hi^li tail-head was to some extent characteristic of the ancient polled 

 I, l.ut it is one of the defects that are being gradually removed by the 



ntific systems of breeding now pursued. 



.0 good polled cattle, too, have been found to show a development 

 )ft wort! h and fat on the rounds behind; but that defect, 



which i> di>lik-d very much, is also almost obliterated. The tail should 

 ;ii-_{ht down, close to the nody all the way till it comes near to the 

 tlank. On both sides of the tail the quarters should turn 

 v in a round'-l manner, Dwelling out. downwards, and ultimately pas- 

 - into thick d-i-p thighs. The twist should be full, and the hind legs 

 ;t. and not detached from the body until the level of the 

 reached. The tlank >hoiild he full and soft, so that a good hand- 

 ful ;ot out of it. The bottom line should be as even as the top 

 linrs ; and tin- l-onrs of the 1,-^ finr, llat, and clean, with plenty 

 of muscle and flesh above the kne.-s on the fore-legs, Th- body should 

 1 neatly and gracefully on the legs ; and when the animal is station- 



