CATTLE-nuEEDixo.] CATTLE, AND THEIR VARIETIES. [cviTLE-uuKKiiiNO. 



which she was first impregnated, whether of a 

 cross breeil, or of tlio samo breed as herself. 

 iShi»uld it, tlioreforo, bo the c.iso tliat a simple 

 cross will stump its character for ever upon 

 the animal which is tho subject of it, there is 

 the greatest necessity for tho utmost vigilance 

 and caution to be used in selecting a male 

 animal, especially in the first impregnation of 

 the female. Dr. ITarvey, of Aberdeen, and 

 Professor jNPGillivray, hypothetically consider 

 that the intimate connection in bovine animals, 

 between the footus and its mother — consisting 

 of an absolute circulation of the blood of the 

 fa^tus through tho veins of tho mother, and 

 vice versd — so impregnates her with the vital 

 functions of the sire, as to render her, for ever 

 afterwards, incapable of transmitting her own 

 qualities unimpaired to her offspring. This, 

 therefore, forces upon her breeding qualities 

 the same characters as those which marked 

 lier first young, entirely independent of either 

 the defects or the beauties of the sire. Several 

 well-authenticated facts will effectually estab- 

 lish this view. One of the Earls of Morton had 

 a chesnut mare, which was put to a quagger, or 

 wild ass. The offspring gave the most unmis- 

 takable signs of the quagga in its head, its ears, 

 its stripes on its shoulders, &c. Afterwards, in 

 three successive seasons, the mare was put to 

 a black Arabian horse, and in as many years 

 the foal strictly resembled the quagga. In 

 the Transactions of the Royal Society, it is 

 stated that Sir Gore Ousely had a thorough- 

 bred mare covered by a zebra. The produce 

 was a striped animal, resembling its sire. The 

 mare was afterwards covered bv a thorough- 

 bred horse ; but a striped animal was the 

 result : the year afterwards she was put to 

 another horse, with the same result. Again, 

 six black-faced, horned Scottish ewes were 

 selected by Mr. II. Shaw, of Leochel, and were 

 served, some with a Southdown, and others 

 with a Leicester ram, the one white-faced, the 

 other dun-faced, but both hornless. The lambs, 

 as a matter of course, were crosses ; and, in 

 their second year, they were put to a horned 

 ram of their own black-faced breed ; but all 

 the lambs were hornless, and their faces of a 

 brownish colour. Again, they were put to a 

 very superior ram of their own breed : on 

 this occasion the crosses of some were less 

 distinct ; but two of the lambs were polled or 

 4 p 



liornlcsa ; one was dun-faced, witli very Bmall 

 horns, and tho i.ther three wore white-faced, 

 with very small round horns only. Tho ewes 

 were considered bo impure as to bo thrown 

 out from tho flock ; and another lamb wai 

 never obtained from them by tho breeder. 



A favourite setter bitch, belonging to Dr. 

 Hugh Smith, followed him one day in the 

 season, and sho was warded by an ugly cur, 

 which was shot, and Dido, the setter, lost her 

 noso in tho partridge season. Sho was put to 

 a superior setter; but her produce were the 

 colour and picture of tho cur; and, in her 

 many subsequent litters, no other kind of animal 

 could be obtained from her but a cur-looking 

 puppy. Even among the porcine species 

 there are singular instances of this kind. A 

 person had a black-and-white sow, which be- 

 came pregnant by a wild boar, of a dun colour. 

 Of course the breed was mixed, or crossed, 

 exhibiting symptoms of the qualities of both 

 its parents. But the same sow was afterwards 

 put to two different boars, and, in both in- 

 stances, the dun colour pervaded the breed, 

 though perfectly unusual before. The late 

 Prot'essor M'Gillivray tells us of an Aberdeen- 

 shire hornless heifer being put to a short-hom 

 bull, and had her first cross calf to that animal. 

 She was afterwards put to a pure-bred bull of 

 her own kind ; but she again had a cross calf, 

 a horned animal, though both its parents were 

 polled animals. The same authority mentions 

 another instance of a different Aberdeenshire 

 cow which had been served by a first cross 

 between the Aberdeenshire and short-horn, 

 and to this animal she had a cross-bred calf. 

 In order to have a pure-bred calf from her, 

 she was put to a pure Aberdeenshire bull ; 

 but the produce was a cross calf, both in 

 colour and appearance. The evidence of such 

 facts as these it is difficult to resist ; but facts 

 even stronger than these can be adduced toshow 

 the influence which the first impregnating 

 animal has upon the female for ever afterwards. 



In the case of Dr. Smith's Dido, it does not 

 appear that her intercourse with the cur, if 

 any, had been fruitful ; but the following facts 

 will show the impossibility of any connection 

 whatever. INIr. Blaine had a pug bitch which 

 made a companion of a small white spaniel. 

 From this dog she was separated on account 

 of her heat, and was warded by another of hor 



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