Mr. Peel's Herd. 355 



generally singled out the heaviest milkers for its 

 earliest victims. Crumbling of the lungs, which ren- 

 dered it impossible to chew the cud, was its most pro- 

 minent symptom ; and, although the lives of a few 

 were prolonged by the adoption of Horsfall's plan of 

 gruel and cod liver oil three times a day, only two or 

 three fought through, and were kept up in apparently 

 the last stage of exhaustion by iron and other tonics. 

 Old Pearl by Tom Steele (8715) withstood all in- 

 fection. 



A whole host of Booth bulls The Monk, Valasco, 

 Elfin King, Sir Samuel, Fitzclarence, Sir James 

 have been in that hovel on the hill ; and, while Sir 

 Lawrence Peel and the venerable Mr. Armstrong, 

 Q.C. (who was spending part of his last summer with 

 his old Northern Circuit friend), prolong their drive a 

 little, we sit with Mr. Peel under that warm summer 

 sun, and watch the present herd, as one by one they 

 go down to the stream which joins the Hodder, hard 

 by the fishing-stone. Bashful is up to her knees, and 

 " a right-down, good, old, honest cow she is." There, 

 too, is Boundless of the same tribe, Basilisk (another 

 good one), and the big, massive Pride of the Isles by 

 Sir James from Bride. Bloom is there to tell of 

 Blush, which died at 21 score gibs, per quarter, and 

 Marion traces back to old Water Witch, through 

 Mistress Mary. The roan Banter and the white 

 Banana seldom leave each other, and old Balmful 

 keeps the top ground. Bride of the Mere by Horsa 

 has to keep the house, and oilcake is her portion for 

 Christmas.* We have seen odd markings a large 



* At Mr. Peel's draft sale in July, 1861, Lalage by Prince Imperial 

 (15,095) from Lally, a pure Bates cow, brought 235 guineas (Captain 

 Oliver), and Duke of Knowlmere, then a little over three months old, 

 115 guineas, the general average being over 56/. los. The Knowlmere 

 herd has never contended for Smithfield honours. Three animals only 

 have ever been in preparation for it, and their appearance at the Great Fat 

 Show has, in each case, been prevented by circumstances so adverse as 

 to have given rise to almost a superstition on the subject. 

 A A 2 



