112 THE DISEASES AND DISORDERS OF THE OX. 



cattle found in Great Britain, and hence we are not surprised 

 that these English shorthorns are met with in many parts of the 

 Continent of Europe and also in America and elsewhere. For 

 more than a hundred years the greatest care has been taken to 

 improve the breed. Genealogies have been recorded, and the 

 pedigrees of both sires and dams can be traced back for many 

 generations ; and the enormous sums of money at which first- 

 rate bulls and cows of this breed sell, show in what estimation 

 shorthorns which are nearly perfect are held. The colour varies 

 from pure white to bright red, and it may be dark red, red and 

 white, or roan. Tf any black hue is apparent, it is due to an ad- 

 mixture of other breeds. The improved shorthorns may, then, 

 be said to be red or white, or red and white combined in various 

 degrees. It is highly probable that the white colour arose in the 

 first instance from a cross at an early date with the wild white 

 breed. The tip of the ear in the case of the white shorthorn, like 

 the extremity of the ear in the wild oxen, is characterised by a red 

 tinge. The head is short and very broad, the chest is wide and 

 deep, and projects forward. The fore-legs are short, the back is 

 straight but not very long, and the barrel is full. The animals 

 of this breed are capable of being very readily fattened, and their 

 beef is of a very excellent quality. On the other hand, the 

 shorthorn cows are not so valuable from the point of view of 

 the dairy as are some other breeds. One good point about the 

 shorthorns is that they impart their excellent qualities to their 

 offspring when they are crossed with animals of other breeds. 

 The progeny which results from such crossing possesses the 

 capability of being very easily fattened and of growing to a 

 large size. By way of illustration of this, it may be said 

 that a cross between a shorthorn bull and an Ayrshire cow gives 

 rise to offspring which are valuable at once in regard to their 

 beef and also in respect to the supply of milk. Moreover, 

 another point of excellence possessed by the shorthorns is that 

 these animals can readily adapt themselves to different condi- 

 tions of place and soil, and they are also capable of being readily 

 fattened. In Lincolnshire and other districts where the pasture- 

 land is rich, the first batch of large oxen can be removed from 

 pasture in June, and the next lot before the beginning of winter. 

 However, as a rule, the shorthorn cows, as we have said above, 

 are not good suppliers of milk, the milk being only moderate in 



