74 HISTORY OF THE SHORT-HORNS. 



she had a long, thick, downy coat, with a superb flesh underneath, 

 which, to a superficial observer, appeared hard, the cow being in 

 a rapidly advancing condition. Cora [Alloy], out of the 400 gs. 

 ($2,000) Countess, had a pretty red frame, but ugly cock horns, and 

 was re-sold to Major Bower, who bred ten calves from her. Magda- 

 lene was a little red cow, with a large bag and belly and short 

 quarters ; although the dam of the celebrated red and white bull, 

 Blyth Comet (85), her only produce besides Ossian (476); she was 

 not first rate and wanted hair, yet when dry had a great propensity 

 to feed. 



" The only cow that Charles Colling reserved was Magdalena [by 

 Comet, dam by Cupid], a great favorite and an extraordinary milker, 

 giving sixteen quarts twice a day. Mr. Whitaker prevailed upon 

 Charles Colling to let him have her ; the numerous and well known 

 ' Chaff' tribe is descended from this cow. 



"Comet (155) was the great attraction of the sale, and his close 

 breeding [by Favorite (252), dam by Favorite (252), out of Favorite's 

 (252) dam], did not detract from his value or appearance. Charles 

 Colling declared him to be the best bull he ever bred or saw. He 

 was a beautiful light roan, dark [red] neck, with a fine masculine 

 head, broad and deep breast, shoulders well laid back, crops and 

 loins good, hind quarters long, straight, and well packed, thighs thick, 

 twist full and well let down, with nice straight hocks and hind legs. 

 He had fair sized horns, ears large and hairy, and a grandeur of style 

 and carriage that was indescribable.* It was admitted that no bull 

 so good had ever before been seen, and eminent breeders have since said 

 that they never again saw his equal. In one point, however, opinions 

 differed. Some few objected to his shoulders as not being good, or a 

 little too strong in the knuckles ; others asserted that he was there, as 

 in every other point, faultless. The near shoulder was slightly shrunk 

 in, apparently diseased, which may have arisen from a violent sprain 

 that he received when a calf. When brought into the ring, he was 

 put up at 600 guineas. Thomas Newton, a small dairyman at Bishop 

 Auckland, bid 850 guineas, and Mr. John Wright, standing beside 

 him, asked why he bid? 'To take in cows at a good profit,' said he, 

 and whilst talking the glass f run out at 1000 guineas ($5,000). Mr. 

 John Hutton, of Marske, who was unable to get to the sale, bid 1600 



* Comet's portrait is represented in frontispiece of 3d volume American Herd Book. L. F. A. 



t In those days it was a rule with the English stock auctioneers to sell by the hour or minute 

 glass an article now little known. A given number of minutes was allowed for the bidding, and 

 when the sand run out the article on sale was struck off. L. F. A. 



