ON SHORT-HORN CATTLE. 



" Herd-book"), wlio, -when slaiiglitered, was harely covered 

 in this point, altlioiig'h very fat in all other points. 



The neck and head are not handling- points ; but I will 

 brietly notice them before I turn to the lower part of the 

 bodv : the neck should be thick, and tapering- towards the 

 head ; a thin neck is strong- evidence of a want of flesh and 

 substance in other parts. There are various opinions on the 

 shape of the head : some prefer it to be long- and lean, whilst 

 others approve of its being- thick and short ; but to be broad 

 across the eyes, tapering- considerably below them to the 

 nostrils, which should be capacious, with a cream or flesli 

 coloured muzzle, will be nearly correct ; althoug-h it is but 

 rig-ht to state that there are many well-bred short-horns 

 with dark muzzles. This has been considered by many to 

 be a recent introduction, throug-h some inferior cross ; but, 

 Avithout denying- that, let it not be forg-otten that some of 

 the early short-horns were not entirely free from it, althoug-h 

 not very common; but the sire of Foljambe could not boast 

 of much delicacy there. The horn has often been called a 

 non-essential, and in some respects that may be true ; yet it 

 must be admitted that a small moist white or yellowish 

 horn, coming- well oif the head with a g'raceful circle and 

 with a downward tendency at the end in a female, and an 

 inclination ixpwards in an ox, contributes much to the cha- 

 racter and appearance of an animal, and denotes a feeding- 

 propensity. The eye has had its fashion at different periods: 

 at one time the eye hig-h and outstanding- from the head, and 

 at another time the sleepy eye sunk into the head; but 

 these extremes have merg-ed into the medium of a full, clear, 

 and jn-ominent eye, with a placid look. The neck-vein forms 

 a collar in front of the shoidder, extending- from the upper 

 part of it down to the breast end, connecting- the fat on the 

 shoidder with the fat on the breast, thereby promoting- a 

 uniform covering- of fat throug-hout every part of a beast, 

 commencing- at the rump, and proceeding- along- the back to 

 the hip, loin, rib, crop, shoulder, and breast, without patch, 

 or any one part having- excess of fat beyond that of its neig-h- 

 bour. The breast should come prominently out from between 

 the fore leg-s, and extend down to about two or three inches 

 of the knee-joint, and its width should never be lost sight of. 

 An animal with a w'tde hach and a n-ule breast cannot fail to 

 have substance, fore flanks, wide fore leg's, and other indica- 

 tions of a strong- and vig-orous constitution. A wide and fat 

 breast should extend itself throug-h the fore lea's towards the 



