THE GALLOWAY BREED. 319 



wrote in the 16th century, speaking of the cattle of Galloway, 

 says, " In this region ar mony fair ky and oxin, of quhilk the 

 flesh is right delicius and tender." 



The cows are indifferent milkers, and soon run dry. In 

 this respect they resemble other mountain breeds of Scot- 

 land. The character may be partly the result of breeding, 

 the care of the breeders of the district having been always 

 directed to the grazing, and not to the milking, properties ; 

 but the milk, though comparatively small in quantity, is rich 

 in cream. 



A remarkable character of this breed is the absence of 

 horns in the male and female. It is said that the older breed 

 of Galloway, as it existed in the middle of last century, 

 possessed horns ; but this is not perfectly ascertained, and 

 some earlier notices rather conduct us to the conclusion, that 

 the absence of horns has been for a much longer period a 

 distinctive character of the race. It may be either due to 

 the physical circumstances of the country, which produce 

 this constitutional character, or to the effects of selection in 

 breeding, or to a combination of these causes. If the consti- 

 tutional tendency existed, it was easy for breeders, by breed- 

 ing only from animals destitute of horns, to render all the 

 breed hornless. Sometimes, even yet, the horns are developed 

 in individuals, and, as this is regarded, erroneously indeed, 

 as a test of impurity, they are cut out. In a few cases the 

 development of the horns is partial : the nucleus or bony 

 part is wanting, but the horny part has been formed, and 

 hangs loose on the skin. 



The trade in cattle between Galloway and England appears 

 to have begun soon after the union of the two Crowns, and 

 for upwards of 150 years has been regular and extensive. 

 It is computed that upwards of 20,000 head are annually 

 exported from the district, of which from 16,000 to 18,000 

 are sold at Smithfield ; but it is probable that the total ex- 

 port exceeds the quantity mentioned. They are reared to 

 the age of two or three years on the farms of the country, 



