DAIKY CATTLE THE AYRSHIRES. 745 



The eye should be moderately full, lively yet placid lookinj^. The eye 

 is a mirror of the disposition, and interprets the character of Ihe cow; a 

 fretful, irritable animal is seldom a quick fattener, and usually disap- 

 points at the pail. It also gives expression to the features, and physiog- 

 nomy aids our judgment. 



The ears should be of a good size, but thin, and their skin of rich 

 yellow color. Coarse ears are usually found on ill-bred animals, and 

 these may be considered, to a certain extent, indicative of general coarse- 

 ness. The color of the skin, as shown inside the ear, is usually considered 

 indicative of the richness of the milk in butter. 



The horns should be of medium size, of fine texture, with an outward 

 and upward turn, or inclining upwards and curving slightly inwards, ac- 

 cording to the taste of the breeder. They should be set on rather 

 widely apart. A coarse horn may indicate a coarse and thick hide, as 

 there seems an intimate relation between the composition of the horn, hair, 

 and hide, and the influence of climate on horn and hair gives an appear- 

 ance oftentimes of correlation between the tv;o. 



XVII. The Neck, Body and Limbs. 



The neck should be of medium length throughout, and tapering to the 

 throat, which should be clean or free from loose, hanging skin. Yet too 

 thin a neck is not desirable, as it usually indicates a delicate animal. A 

 fhick-set neck, well covered, j^et not overladen Avith muscle, accompanies 

 hardiness and vigor of constitution. 



The junction of the neck with the body and over the shoulders is 

 called the crops ; on a horse it would be called the withers. A hollow 

 behind this point ic a never-failing sign of weakness. The crops should 

 blend in easily witii a thin shoulder, lying snugly to the body. This 

 shoulder and a well defined spine produce the sharpness of shoulder so 

 much admired. The back should be straight, with spine well defined, 

 espccialh' forward. The tail long, firm in the bone, and set on a level 

 with the back, without depression or notch. A fine tail usually accom- 

 panies fine bone, and the fine bone is not only decrease of offal over 

 heavy limbs, but accompanies early maturity, and a. tendency to thrift. 

 The limbs should be fine-boned, flat-boned, and with joints of moderate 

 size. On the forward liml)S the cow should stand low. Large joints and 

 round bones are found very frequently on dull feeders, and on animals of 

 little profit. 



XVIII. Importance of Good Teats. 



The teats should be of medium length, evenly set, and project 

 slightly outward when the l):ig is full, of even thickness throughout, and 

 of fine texture. They should be placed about one-third of the length oi 



