532 THE CHILLINGHAM OX. 



convey no certain information to the reader. I shall therefore 

 introduce only Lord Tankerville's account of the stock existing 

 in his ancient park of Chillingham, omitting his remarks on 

 those in other parts of Britain : 



" In form they are beautifully shaped ; have short legs j a 

 straight back ; horns of a very fine texture j a thin skin, so that 

 some of the bulls appear of a cream colour - } and they have a cry 

 more like that of a wild beast than that of ordinary cattle. They 

 are fierce when pressed, but generally speaking, very timorous, 

 moving off on the appearance of any one, even at a great 

 distance; yet this varies very much in different seasons of 

 the year, according to the manner in which they are approached. 

 In summer, I have been for several weeks at a time without 

 getting a sight of them, they, on the slightest appearance of 

 any one, retiring into a wood, which serves them as a sanctuary. 

 On the other hand, in winter, when coming down for food into 

 the inner park, and being in contact with the people, they will 

 let you almost come among them, particularly if on horseback. 

 But then they have also a thousand peculiarities. They will 

 be feeding sometimes quietly, when if any one appear suddenly 

 near them, particularly coming down the wind, they will be 

 struck with a sudden panic, and gallop off, running one after 

 another, and never stopping till they get into the wood. It is 

 observable of them, as of red-deer, that they have a peculiar 

 faculty of taking advantage of the irregularities of the ground, 

 so that, on being disturbed, they may traverse the whole park, 

 and yet you hardly get a sight of them. Their usual mode of 

 retreat is to get up slowly, set off in a walk, then a trot, and 

 seldom begin to gallop till they have put the ground between 

 you and them in the manner that I have described. When 

 they come down into the lower part of the park, which they 

 do at stated hours, they move like a regiment of cavalry in 

 single files, the bulls leading the van, as in retreat it is the 

 bulls that bring up the rear. Lord Ossulston witnessed the 

 curious way in which they took possession, as it were, of a new 

 pasture recently opened to them. It was in the evening about 



