CHAPTER III 

 THE BREEDS OF CATTLE 



The first early cattle of which we have any information 

 existed in Europe in prehistoric times. The bones and skele- 

 tons of two very different types of cattle have been found 

 in Great Britain and parts of Europe. One of these was very 

 much larger than the cattle of today, and has been called 

 the Giant Ox. The other is much smaller and finer of bone. 

 The skeletons of these two forms are quite similar to the 

 cattle of our own time. Many bones of these animals have 

 been found, and it is believed that even in the stone and the 

 bronze age the people had cattle more or less domesticated. 

 Pliny and the earliest historians refer to swift and fierce wild 

 bulls, called Uri, that were found in the forests and meadows 

 of Germany and other parts of Europe at the beginning of 

 the Christian era. The early Romans captured specimens 

 of these wild bulls and took them to Rome and used them in 

 their brutal festivities. 



Wild White Cattle have been known in England, Scot- 

 land, and Wales since earliest historical times. These cattle 

 lived in great parks. They had upright horns, were covered 

 with shaggy hair, and were pure white in color, except the 

 hair about the ears and muzzle, which was usually a dark 

 red or black. A number of small herds of these cattle are 

 kept today in Great Britain, one of which is at Chillingham 

 Park in northeastern England. This herd numbers only 

 60 or 70 animals, which run wild on an immense estate. 

 They have never been tamed, but live by themselves back 

 among the hills in the forests and meadows. It is believed 



