34 THE OX AND THE DAIKT. 



With respect to the points of symmetry in cattle, of which 

 the various breeds exhibits several degrees of modification, 

 there are certain rules which are generally acknowledged as 

 applicable to good cattle of all kinds. 



THE BULL. The forehead of the bull should be broad and 

 short, the lower part, that is, the nasal part and jaws, taper- 

 ing ; and the muzzle fine ; the ears moderate ; the neck 

 gently arched from the head to the shoulders, small and fine 

 where it joins the head, but boldly thickening as it sweeps 

 down to the chest, which should be deep, almost to a level 

 with the knees, with the briskets well developed. The 

 shoulders should be well set, the shoulder-blades oblique, with 

 the humeral joint advancing forwards to the neck. The barrel 

 of the chest should be round, without hollowness, between 

 it and the shoulders. The sides should be ribbed home, with 

 little space between them and the hips ; the whole body being 

 barrel-shaped, and not flat-sided. The belly should not hang 

 down, being well supported by the oblique abdominal muscles, 

 and the flanks should be round and deep. The hips should 

 be wide and round, the loins broad, and the back straight and 

 flat. The tail should be broad and well haired, and set on 

 high and fall abruptly. The breast should be broad ; the 

 forearms short and muscular, tapering to the knee ; the legs 

 straight, clean, and fine-boned. The thighs should be full 

 and long, and close together when viewed from behind. The 

 hide should be moderately thin, with a mellow feel, and move- 

 able, but not lax ; and it should be well covered with fine soft 

 hair. The nostrils should be large and open ; the eyes ani- 

 mated and prominent ; the horns clean and white. 



THE Ox. In the ox, the masculine characters, so promi- 

 nent in the bull, are softened ; the neck is carried nearly 

 straight from the top of the shoulders, without an arch ; and 

 the general frame is lighter, but the points of excellence are 

 the same. 



THE Cow. Cows of a coarse, angular, gaunt figure may 

 give good milk, and that in abundance, as, indeed, was the 

 case with some of the old unimproved breeds ; but it is de- 

 sirable, and moreover it is possible, to unite qualities as a 

 milker with such an aptitude to fatten, as will render her 

 valuable when dry, and profitable to the butcher. In a cow 

 thus constituted, the head must be long, rather small and 

 fine ; the neck thin and delicate at its junction with the head, 

 but thickening as it approaches the shoulder and descends to 



