268 A TREATISE ON HORSE-BREEDING. 



the present representative of the family, Mr. Paterson of 

 Drumalbin, has in his possession a family tree of all the de- 

 scendants of that John Paterson who died in 1682. In the 

 year 1836, in reference to a day's plowing given to one of the 

 Patersons on leaving Lochlyoch for Drumalbin, the following 

 remarks appeared in an Edinburgh newspaper, from which 

 it will be seen that their claim to being the founders of the 

 breed was then recognized. After descanting on the merits 

 of the family and kindred topics, the writer proceeds: "And 

 it may be here worthy of remark, that it was a brother of 

 Mr. Paterson's grandfather who brought the notable stallion 

 from England to Lanarkshire the sire of the famous Clydes- 

 dale breed of horses of which the county has been so long 

 and justly proud." 



What were the distinguishing features of the native breed 

 previous to the introduction of the Flemish horse, about 

 1715, cannot now be definitely determined, but there can be 

 little doubt that they were mostly of English origin, and of 

 a mixed character. The old drove road from Scotland to 

 England crosses the Clyde at Hyndford Bridge, and leads 

 across the hills by Carmichael and Crawfordjohn the very 

 center of the then horse-breeding district; and the inter- 

 course which the farmers would thus have with their neigh- 

 bors from the south, and the amount of traffic done by pack- 

 horses, would doubtless allow of many opportunities for 

 selecting animals calculated to improve the breed. 



The Lochlyoch mares were generally browns and blacks, 

 with white faces and a little white on their legs; they had 

 grey hairs in their tails, occasional grey hairs over their 

 bodies, and invariably a white spot on their belly, this latter 

 being recognized as a mark of distinct purity of blood. The 

 mares died out at Lochlyoch about thirty years ago. 



The Lochlyoch stock having been long noted in the Upper 

 Ward and largely drawn upon by breeders, there is no doubt 

 that to them, or, more correctly, to the black horse of 1715, 

 the Clydesdale horse owes its present distinctive character.* 



There can be no question as to the fact that 



* Clydesdale Stud Book, Vol. I, p. xvii. 



