94 AT THE SIGN OF THE STOCK YARD INN 



is said to have affirmed that "BATES was right and 

 I am wrong. I will never cross them again with 

 anything but themselves." Just the same, this out- 

 crossed white heifer lived to found the family 

 known afterwards in England as Grand Duchesses, 

 and in the course of time, when the pure blood 

 had become wholly extinct, this particular English 

 branch of the fine old tribe and the American 

 Duchesses of Airdrie, carrying the Lord George 

 (BOOTH) cross, through Mr. ALEXANDER'S 2d Duke 

 of Athol, alone remained to perpetuate the ancient 

 name. 



DUCIE had been in feeble health for some little 

 time prior to his acquisition of the cream of the 

 Kirklevington herd, and did not live long enough to 

 carry out his plans. He was a crafty individual 

 and from all accounts not overscrupulous in shap- 

 ing his plans to practically "corner" the Duchess 

 blood. The bulls of that ilk, as well as the females, 

 were not numerous. The tribe had been so closely 

 bred that they were for the most part shy pro- 

 ducers. In fact, the larger part of the herd during 

 its later years consisted of tribes of other origin 

 crossed with the Duke and Oxford bulls, chief 

 among these in point of numbers being the Wild 

 Eyes and Waterloos. One of the last sires used 



