5 8 FROM AN EASY CHAIR 



splendid spirally-turned horns (e.g. the Spanish), which 

 are used for ploughing and carting, and are fattened, 

 killed, and eaten after doing ten years' good work. 

 These fine creatures are not seen in England. They 

 come nearest to the extinct Aurochs, which was, 

 however, bigger than any of them. It, too, existed in 

 prehistoric times in England, and we find its bones in 

 the gravel of the Thames Valley. The last aurochs, or 

 wild bull of Europe, was killed in Poland near the end 

 of the seventeenth century. The wild Chillingham 

 cattle are Roman cattle run wild. Many of these 

 breeds and the bones of the aurochs to compare as to 

 size may be seen in the north hall of the Natural 

 History Museum, where I commenced a collection of 

 domesticated breeds of cattle, sheep, horses, dogs, &c., 

 eight years ago. Chillingham cattle are to be seen in 

 the Zoological Gardens. 



An interesting fact in this connection is that the 

 splendid bull which is kept in half- wild herds in Spain 

 for the purpose of " bull-fights," is of a totally different 

 race from that of the big, long-horned agricultural 

 cattle. It may be seen at Cromwell-road, a specimen 

 killed in the ring having been procured at my request 

 and presented to the museum through the kindness of 

 the British Consul at Seville. The Spanish fighting 

 bull is, curiously enough, more like our Channel Island 

 milk-producing cattle than any other. It probably 

 came to Spain from North Africa but there seems to 

 be no record or history concerning it and if there were 

 it would probably be a fantastic invention. It seems 

 that only the bulls of this special breed can be played 

 with and dazzled by the matador's red cloak. A Scotch 

 bull was once brought by sea to Seville and introduced 

 to the arena. He paid no attention to cloaks, red or 

 otherwise, but always went straight for his man. It is 

 stated that he was soon left quite alone in the ring ! 

 The native African cattle (of Indian origin) at Ujiji and 



