408 THE NORTHERN SHORT-HORNED CATTLE. 



The animal exhibited in London in the beginning 

 of the year 1602., under the name of the " Won- 

 derful Ox," was a variety produced from this breed 

 by Mr. Collins of Barmton. It weighed more than 

 two hundred stone ; and is said to have been, in 

 every respect, an uncommonly beautiful animal. 



There is a very singular breed of short-horned 

 cattle in the neighbourhood of the river Tees, 

 (supposed to have been originally produced by 

 some Bulls brought from Holland,) which the 

 breeders call lycry, or double-Iyer ed; that is, black- 

 fleshed : for, notwithstanding one of these creatures 

 will feed to a vast weight, yet they are never known 

 to have so much as a pound of fat either inside or 

 out; and the flesh, (for it does not deserve the 

 name of beef,) is black, and as coarse-grained as 

 horse-flesh: Mr. Culley once saw a beast of this 

 sort killed, which, although it had been fed all the 

 summer, was entirely destitute of fat. Its two ends, 

 namely, its shoulders and buttocks, were heavy, 

 round, and coarse, without the hip-bones at all 

 standing up ; and the body quite small. In short, 

 he says that it was more like an ill-made black 

 Horse, than an Ox or a Cow. By the pains and 

 attention of breeders, this useless variety is now 

 nearly extirpated. No man will buy one of these 

 animals, if he knows any thing of the matter; and 

 if he should be once taken in, he will remember it 

 for the future. Persons conversant with cattle 

 readily find them out, by their generally round 



form, 



