54 071 Breeding In and In, 



The next circumstance I will call the attention of 

 the society to, is respecting cattle ; and though it may 

 not be a positive trial, yet it shews the opinion of 

 mankind in general, and in a large district of course 

 may be considered as circumstantial evidence. In the 

 northern parts of Lancashire, where, owing to the ex- 

 treme of rain and cold, very little grain, except oats, is 

 raised, and being so full of inhabitants, arising from 

 the vast extent of manufactures, as to make the de- 

 mand for milk and butter almost equal to a city, they 

 are very particular in their breed of cows, and their 

 farms are generally so small, that perhaps there are not 

 more bulls kept, than one in two or three miles, which 

 are let to cows at stated prices, like stallions, and such 

 is the received opinion of breeding in and in, that the 

 owners of the bulls, are obliged to change them every 

 three years, (or they would entirely lose their custom- 

 ers,) that being the age at which they generally let their 

 heifers take the bull. There is also another circum- 

 stance, perhaps rather more corroborative than the last. 

 An intimate acquaintance of mine being on a visit to 

 some relations on the verge of Norfolk, where cours- 

 ing hares with grey hounds, is the favourite rural sport 

 in winter, was invited by a neighbouring gentleman, to 

 partake of the amusement, on a general coursing day ; 

 they had about ten brace of dogs brought into the field, 

 and to every hare they started, run one brace of grey 

 hounds ; they run so many hares, as to tire both horses 

 and dogs, and if I recollect right, killed about one in 

 four, however he observed one brace of dogs that kill- 

 ed every hare they started, with apparent ease, this ex- 

 cited his curiosity, and on enquiring the cause, he was 



