49 



breed its world-wide reputation. In addition to other note- 

 worthy performances he carried off two champion prizes of 100 

 each at the Paris International Exhibition of 1878 for (1) the best 

 group of beef-producing animals in the exhibition ; (2) the best 

 group of foreign cattle. It is worthy of note that in the latter class, 

 in -which 17 breeds w T ere represented, the second prize also was 

 obtained by Aberdeen- Angus cattle, the group shown by Sir George 

 Macpherson Grant, of Ballindalloch, Banffshire, another noted 

 breeder. 



The two most famous and most numerously represented tribes of 

 Aberdeen-Angus cattle are the Prides of Aberdeen and the Ericas. 

 The former family was founded by McCombie, the first Pride of Aber- 

 deen (581), calved 1857, being descended from Queen Mother (348), 

 which he bought as a yearling. The first Erica (843) was calved in 

 1857 at Kinnaird and was sold in 1861 to Sir George Macpherson 

 Grant, in whose herd at Ballindalloch the line was built up. The 

 most favoured branch is the one which arose from the mating with 

 McCombie's bull, Trojan (402), a half brother of the first Pride of 

 Aberdeen. Other famous families are the Jilts, Ruths and Vines 

 of Tillyfour, Princesses of Kinochtry, Lady Fannys, Mayflowers 

 of Easter Tulloch, Queen Mothers, Roses of Advie and Wester- 

 town, Miss Burgesses, Lady Idas, and Blackbirds. 



In recent years no other breed has been so successful in open 

 competition at the chief Fat Stock Shows, e.g., at the Smithfield 

 Show in the last twelve years six Championships and five Reserve 

 Championships have been gained by Aberdeen-Angus cattle. In 

 the Carcase Competitions the results are still more remarkable, as in 

 the last twelve years an Aberdeen-Angus or an Aberdeen-Angus 

 Cross beast has won the Championship at every show. Similar 

 results have been obtained at other leading Fat Stock Shows not 

 only in the United Kingdom but also abroad, as, e.y. t at the Enter- 

 national Exhibition at Chicago, where in the last twelve years 

 Aberdeen- Angus cattle have secured the Championship for the best 

 steer eight times ; that for the best car load of steers nine times ; 

 and that for the best dressed carcase eleven times. 



As formerly, the headquarters of the breed are still in the North- 

 eastern counties of Scotland, but numerous herds of the first rank 

 are found in other parts of Scotland and in England and Ireland. 

 In Canada and the United States, their development has been 

 phenomenal. As far as is known, in 1873 there was not a single 

 animal of the breed in North America ; to-day the Aberdeen-Angus 

 is almost, if not fully, as well known and widely distributed as the 

 Hereford. 



Distinctive Characteristics. In the north-eastern counties of 

 Scotland, cows of the breed are used fairly extensively for dairying 

 purposes, but it is as a beef producer that the breed excels, and 

 for symmetry, quality of carcase, and excellence of. beef, it is second 

 to none. On an average the cattle do not reach the same size 

 as Shorthorns and Herefords, though the difference is much less 

 than it appears. Their short fine legs and compact form make them 

 look rather smaller than they really are. They weigh remarkably 

 well for their size, and no breed gives a higher percentage of carcase 

 in proportion to the live weight it is rec6rded that on one occasion 



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