80 AT THE SIGN OF THE STOCK YARD INN 



reproduce themselves. This was a real menace, 

 and a volume might be written on his troubles in 

 the line of finding suitable outcrosses. Suffice it to 

 say that he learned one day of the existence of a 

 bull called Belvidere, of ROBERT GOLLING'S old Red 

 Rose or Princess strain, the foundation dam of which 

 carried a double cross of Favorite on top of Hub- 

 back, he of the Hurworth lanes. In Belvidere alone 

 of all bulls then living Mr. BATES believed the 

 original blood had not been subsequently tainted by 

 what he would call injudicious crossing. Here then 

 was the material that would regenerate the Duch- 

 esses. Believing, therefore, as he did, that this was 

 the one animal then alive that could save his pets 

 from threatened extinction and at the same time 

 give them still greater merit, we can well imagine 

 with what impatience he urged his nag forward 

 that 22d of June, 1831, as he rode over to JOHN 

 STEPHENSON'S beyond the Tees at Wolviston, to see 

 "the last of a race of well-descended Shorthorns." 



It is related that as Mr. BATES entered the yard 

 he caught a glimpse of the head of Belvidere through 

 an opening in his box, and at that one glance saw 

 something in the bull's physiognomy that assured 

 him that here was truly what he long had sought. 

 We can also fancy the effort required to conceal 



