22 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK i. 



Lieutenant (sire of Leonard), have pursued the same plan ' (Dixon). 

 To these may be added Mussulman, the sire of the celebrated bull 

 Buckingham (3239). 



" To give even an abridged account of the many celebrated males 

 and females which have sprung from the ' Booth Herd ' would require 

 a volume of itself; and there is no one who has the slightest 

 knowledge of modern Shorthorns to whom the names of Hamlet, 

 Buckingham, Leonard, Hopewell, Vanguard, Windsor, Crown Prince, 

 Prince Arthur, British Prince, Prince of Warlaby, &c., among the 

 bulls ; and of Bracelet and her twin sister Necklace, Mantalini, Faith, 

 Hope, Charity, Birthday, Bud, Hawthorn Blossom, Plum Blossom, 

 Nectarine Blossom, Bridesmaid, Bianca, Queen of the May, Queen 

 of the Isles, Queen Mab, Soldier's Bride, Bride Elect, &c., c., 

 among the females, are not quite familiar. 



"Cattle of the pure 'Booth blood' are distinguished by their 

 mellowness, the depth and width of their fore-quarters, and conse- 

 quent fulness of girth, the uncommon spread of their ribs, their 

 good backs and loins ; but they are sometimes deficient in style, and 

 rather plain in the head, and coarse in the horn, which peculiarities 

 were brought in by the Leonard cross, and came to him from 

 Thorpe (2757), the sire of Leonard (Lord Lieutenant) having been 

 got by Thorpe. The celebrated Favourite had something of the 

 same defect, being rather coarse in his horn. The Duchess tribe, 

 on the other hand, are characterized by a great deal of elegance 

 in the head and neck, but this is accompanied with defects, such 

 as bareness in ' the side of the chest,' ' shoulders rough and 

 prominent in their points, and bare of flesh,' as has been truly said 

 by Mr. Carr. On the other hand, to use Mr. Carr's well-chosen words, 

 in a Booth animal, 'the neck, fine at its junction with the head, 

 increases rapid!}", though not abruptly, in size, until it melts insensibly 

 into the shoulders and wide projecting brisket, which again blend 

 imperceptibly with the crop, fore-flank, and ribs, without any depres- 

 sions or protuberances. When the animal walks the elbow joint 

 is scarcely, if at all, seen, and there is no hollow behind it. The 

 motion of the shoulder-blades and shoulder-points is imperceptible, 

 the former being laid snugly back into the crops, the latter hidden by 

 the full neck vein, which blends with the muscles of the shoulder, 

 neck, and brisket, forming gently tapering lines to the head and breast 

 end.' Now that the heat of rivalry has somewhat cooled down, and 

 that the respective upholders of each of these famous strains of blood 

 are prepared to acknowledge the merits of the other, it is considered 

 that a judicious blending of the good qualities of each would be highly^ 

 desirable ; and such a union is, in fact, considered by several eminent 

 breeders to be the very acme of Shorthorn breeding. 1 



" The colours which belong to the Shorthorn are rich red, pure 



1 The direct cross between Booth blood and Bates blood has sometimes proved excellent 

 in its results, and sometimes has "spoiled both." But the distinctness of the two groups, 

 which once existed, is rapidly passing away. Its exemplification may still be found in a 

 few individuals, but its generality is lost. 



