300 FIELD AND FERN. 



valley, who can now hardly get enough of them. 

 Five or six years ago there was hardly a sheep in the 

 strath ; and when an old man got knocked down by 

 a bouncing Cheviot, he said, in the bitterness of his 

 heart, they were " noe belter than swine." Against 

 the latter there is no prejudice, and his lordship's 

 Fisher Hobbses are bought up as fast as they can be 

 bred. 



The early history of Lord Strathallan's herd is 

 virtually to be found in one of his photograph- 

 books, which contains his choicest bulls, cows, and 

 heifers, at all ages and in all attitudes. Colonel 

 Towneley's Barnaby Rudge is there, with that 

 deep brisket and rather staring colour, which he 

 brought into the herd ; Dick, with the twisted 

 horn, the high tail, the long quarters, and the out- 

 shoulder ; the more perfect Retribution, son of Bar- 

 naby Rudge ; the sweet white Hautboy, from Abra- 

 ham Parker's dam ; Harpsichord, another white ; 

 The Squire, bred by Douglas ; Red Gauntlet, by Sir 

 James the Rose, from one of The Squire's daughters ; 

 and so on to Fosco, the double second of '64 at the 

 Royal and the Highland, and Allan, son of his con- 

 queror Forth. Old Frolic has not been forgotten; 

 Julia, Wild Eyes, and Warlabina have all been " in 

 position/' and so have Cobweb with her promising 

 calf, and Rosa Bonheur and Ruby of the drooping 

 horns. There, too, is his lordship's old bailiff, James 

 Thompson, who has always dearly loved a shorthorn, 

 and fed his fancy to the full, when he went down 



