138 AMERICAN HUSBANDRY. 



tempts to improve the general character of British 

 cattle were made until within some fifty or sixty 

 years ; and the Devonshire farmers were so well 

 satisfied with their herds, that they were the last 

 to dream that their beautiful red cattle could be 

 improved ; nor did they bestir themselves in ear- 

 nest until the high prices and improved forms of 

 the Ceilings' Short Horns convinced them that, in 

 estimating their advantages, they were behind the 

 age. 



The most perfect specimens of the Devonshire 

 cattle arc found among the North Devons, and it is 

 of these we shall speak. As the breed is of the 

 middle horns, the horns should be neither too high 

 nor too low, those of the hull tapering to the points, 

 not very thick at the base, and of a yellow or waxen 

 colour. The eye should be clear, bright, and prom- 

 inent, showing much of the white, and should have 

 a circle of a variable colour, but usually of a dark 

 orange, around it. The forehead should be flat, in- 

 dented, and small ; for by the smallness of the fore- 

 head the purity of the blood is much estimated. 

 The cheek should be small, the muzzle fine, and the 

 nose of a clear yellow. The ox (see fig. 3) has a 

 small head, singularly so relatively to the bulk of 

 the animal, yet with a striking breadth of forehead. 

 His neck is well adapted to the yoke or the collar ; 

 his horns are small and fine, and his forelegs wide 

 apart, looking like pillars to support a great weight. 

 Angular, bony projections are never found in a beast 

 that carries much flesh and fat. A narrow-chested 

 animal can never be useful either for working or 

 grazing. 



The skin of the Devon of the pure breed, not- 

 withstanding his curly hair, is very mellow, fine, 

 and elastic. Graziers know there is not a more im- 

 portant point than this. When the skin can be ea- 

 sily raised from the hips, it shows that there is room 

 to set fat on below. The favourite colour of the 



