No. 4. 



Angus Fat Ox. 



129 



ANGUS FAT OX, 



The origin of the Angus polled breed of cattle is so remote, that no account of their intro- 

 duction into that part of Scotland can be obtained from the oldest farmers and breeders. 

 Some of the first qualities which seem to have attracted the attention of these breeders, were, 

 their peculiar quietness and docility, the ease with which they were managed, the few losses 

 that were incurred from their injuring each other in tiieir stalls, and the power of disposing 

 of a great number of them in their enclosures; but a few experiments developed another 

 valuable quality — their natural fitness for stall-feeding, and the rapidity with which they 

 fattened, and this brought them into much repute, not only in their own country, but also in 

 England, wiiithcr they were sent in numerous droves for the supply of Smithfield market, as 

 also for the supply of the army and navy. They were purcliased for Smithfield principally 

 by the Norfolk and Leicester graziers, and for two years' English feeding they were found 

 to pay at least equal to the most approved English cattle. They have much of the ftvourite 

 Galloway form, and are often mistaken for them by persons unaccustomed to the difference 

 between the breeds ; they are, however, larger, somewhat longer in the leg, thinner in the 

 shoulder and flatter on the side, while climate and management have caused another differ- 

 ence between them, the Galloways having to encounter a nioister climate, exposed in the 

 winter to a scanty allowance in the open field, and that, too, during the severest part of the 

 season in their northern country; Iience, they have a more robust appearance, a much thicker 

 skin, and a rougher coat of hair than the Angus breed, which are regularly kept in straw- 

 yards during six months of the year, receiving turnips with their fodder, and in summer they 

 are grazed on dry and warm pastures; and by this treatment they are made to look and feel 

 more kindly than the Galloways. 



The greater part of them are pure black, sometimes with a few white spots; others are 

 yellow, brindled, dark red and silver-coloured yellow; they are a most valuable breed, and 

 have in some parts rapidly gained ground on the horned cattle, being far more numerous than 

 they in the lowlands; so that, when the agriculturist now speaks of the Angus breed, he 

 refers to the polled and not to the horned breed, of which, however, there are still some. 

 '•'Mr. Watson, of Keillor, is a successful and spirited breeder of this beautiful race of cattle, 

 and his stock has obtained the name of the Keillor breed, and a most excellent one it is; he 

 has gained on account of them more than one hundred prizes, besides many valuable pieces 

 of plate. Our cut contains the portrait of one of a pair of oxen exhibited by him at the show^ 

 of the Highland Society at Perth, and obtained the prize as one of the best pair of oxen of 

 the Angus breed. This animal was then sent to the Smithfield show, where he v.-as par- 

 ticularly admired; he was slauofiitered by Mr. Sparks, of High street, Mary-le-bone, who 

 declared that he was one of the best quality he ever saw, and in his opinion must have been 

 the best of the breed that was ever exhibited. The meat was finely grained, and the loose 

 fat vveio-hed moire than 240 lbs. 



