

CHARLES COLLING'S FINAL SALE. 75 



guineas for him, as well as Sir H. Vane Tempest, who was delayed, 

 and drove up just as the sale was finishing. Comet was located at 

 Cleasby, three miles from Darlington, and was kept in a small pad- 

 dock, with a loose box in the corner. The condition of purchase 

 was that the four buyers should send twelve cows each annually to 

 him, and Mr. Wright was to have one extra for his keep. Mr. Wright 

 died in the meantime, and Comet gradually sank, his body breaking 

 out into sores. Remus (550) is supposed to have been his last calf. 

 Miss Wright kept a man expressly to attend to Comet, and when the 

 bull died he was buried in the center of the paddock, and a chestnut 

 tree planted on his grave. The paddock is known as 'Comet's garth ' 

 [enclosure] to this day. Mr. Thornton, of Stapleton, purchased this 

 field, and the tree having grown to an enormous size, was grubbed up 

 on the 3d of February, 1865, and Comet's skeleton laid bare; his rib 

 bone measured 2 feet i inch^and the leg bone, knee to ankle joint, 9 

 inches to 5 inches circumference. Many of the other bones were 

 quite perfect, and the whole are preserved in a glass case as a curi- 

 osity at Stapleton, near Darlington. 



" North Star (458), own brother to Comet, and a year younger, was 

 used and died at General Simpson's in Fifeshire ; he was a little lighter 

 .in color, but 'fully as fine in quality, or perhaps rather thicker, though 

 not such a perfectly elegant animal as Comet. Young Phcenix, their 

 dam, only produced one other calf, a heifer, that died young. 



" Major (397), a nice bull, but not particularly handsome, and of a 

 red and white color, begot much good stock in Lincolnshire for many 

 years. He was hired by Mr. John Charge, who bred Western Comet 

 (689) by him, out of Gentle Kitty. Western Comet was acknowl- 

 edged to be the best bull and finest stock getter ever brought into 

 Cumberland. He was used to his daughters and granddaughters, 

 and from this close alliance came the Wharfdale tribe, recently so 

 successful in Ireland. Petrarch (488) was a splendid looking bull, 

 but wanted hair, whilst Northumberland (464), who had big knuckles, 

 was used, like Ossian.(476) in Westmoreland, for several seasons, 

 both becoming celebrated sires. Ketton (346) also showed strong 

 knuckles, and eventually went into Nottinghamshire. Albion (14) is 

 said to have done more good than any other bull used at Killerby 

 [Thomas Booth's], Young Duchess, known afterwards as Duchess 

 ist [bought by Thomas Bates], was a fine red heifer, and developed 

 into a large, handsome cow, with a good deal of the elegance and 

 style of her sire Comet. She was never quite so splendid an animal 



