CHAPTER IV. 



THE POLLED CATTLE. 



THE GALLOWAYS 



The stewartry of Kircudbright and the shu-e of Wigton, with a part 

 of AjTshire and Dumfries, formed the ancient province of Galloway. 

 The two first counties possess much interest with us as the native 

 district of a breed of polled, or dodded, or humble cattle, highly 

 valued for its grazing properties. So late as the middle of the last 

 century, the greater part of the Galloway cattle were horned — they 

 were middle-horns : but some were polled — they were either rem- 

 nants of the native breed, or the characteristic of the aboriginal cat- 

 tle would be occasionally displayed, although many a generation had 

 passed. 



For more than 150 years the surplus cattle of Galloway had been 

 sent far into England, and principally into the counties of Norfolk 

 and Suflfolk. The polled beasts were always favorites with the 

 English farmers ; they fattened as kindly as the others, they attained 

 a larger size, their flesh lost none of its fineness of grain, and they 

 exhibited no wildness and dangerous ferocity which are sometimes 

 serious objections to the Highland breed. Thence it happened that, 

 in process of time, the horned breed decreased, and was as length 

 quite superseded by the polled. 



The agriculture of Galloway and its cattle were much advanced 

 by the Earl of Selkirk, and his son, Lord Daer ; and among the most 

 zealous and successful improvers of the breed of Galloway cattle 

 were the Hurrays of Broughton, the Herons of Kirrouchtrie, the 

 Gordons of Greenlaw, the Maxwells of Munches, and the Maitlands 

 in the valley of Tarfl", in Kircudbright ; and in Wigton, the Earls of 

 Galloway, the Maxwells of Mouneith, the McDowals of Logan, the 

 Cath carts of Genoch, the Hathorns of Castle- Wig, and the Stewarts 

 of Phygell. 



The Galloway cattle are straight and broad in the back, and 

 nearly level from the head to the rump, are round in the ribs, and 

 also between the shouldera and the ribs, and the ribs and the loins, 

 and broftd in the loin, without any large projecting hook bones. In 



