IX 



JILT (973) 422 



Among the various tribes of Aberdeen- 

 Angus cattle the Jilt stands prominent. 

 We naturally pay considerable deference 

 to a matron of dignified and impressive 

 bearing and quality, but in the case of 

 Jilt (973) 422, the foundress of this tribe, 

 there are quite exceptional reasons why 

 one should pay her homage. She was 

 not the greatest of show cows in her 

 time; there were better ones. Yet she 

 was a worthy individual, for she was 

 a second-prize winner at the Highland 

 and Agricultural show of Scotland in 

 1864, and won the same place the next 

 year at the Royal Northern. In view of 

 the fact that both McCombie and others 

 were making great shows of Angus in 

 those days, a second place in the ring 

 must mean much of individual merit. 



Jilt (973) was bred by William Mc- 

 Gombie at Tillyfour. She had for sire 

 one of the most impressive and valuable 

 bulls of that time, Black Prince of Tilly- 

 four (366) 77, a descendant of Queen 

 Mother, while her dam was Beauty ot 

 Tillyfour 2d (1180) 423. The sire was 

 bred by McCombie and the dam by Wat- 

 son, and each animal represented the 

 blood from which great individuals may 

 be created. Jilt was dropped in 1863, and 

 in 1867 was purchased at McCombie's sale 

 for about $350 by Sir George Macpherson 

 Grant for the herd at Ballindalloch. 

 When she was 10 years old, Thomas Far- 

 rail, in a prize essay on this breed, pub- 

 lished by the Highland and Agricultural 

 society, wrote: "Though several sum- 

 mers have somewhat dashed her bloom, 

 she is still a cow of great size and many 

 good points." 



Although the Ballindalloch herd is a 

 very old one, McCombie regarding it as 

 one of the oldest in north Scotland, it 

 has been said that it got its first good 

 start with the Jilt stock. And this leads 

 us to Jilt, the breeder, and here she 

 stands out in history as a really wonder- 

 ful cow. So superior as individuals 'and 

 breeders were her sons that she ha-? 

 been happily termed "the mother of 

 monarchs," the appropriateness of which 

 will appear farther on. Jilt bred to 16 

 years of age and had nine calves, and 

 as she ceased to breed was slaughtered 



32 



