352 [Assembly 



There Is a well authenticatejil story of a Scotch bull, which shows 

 similar but not equal sagacity. " A gentleman in Scotland, near 

 Laggan, had a bull which grazed with the cows in the open meadows. 

 As fences are scarcely known in that part, a boy was kept to watch, 

 lest the cattle should trespass on the neighboring fields, and destroy 

 the corn. The boy was fat and drowsy, and was often found asleep; 

 he was, of course, chastised whenever the cattle trespassed. Warn- 

 ed by this he kept a long switch, and with it revenged himself with 

 an unsparing hand, if they exceeded their boundary. The bull seem- 

 ed to have observed with concern this consequence of their trans- 

 gression, and as he had no horns, he used to strike the cows with his 

 forehead, and thus punish them severely, if any of them crossed the 

 boundary. In the mean time he set them a good example himself, 

 never once straying beyond the forbidden bounds, and placing him- 

 self before the cows in a threatening attitude if they approached them. 

 At length his honesty and vigilance became so obvious, that the boy 

 was employed at other business, without fear of their misbehavior in 

 his absence." Many centuries ago, when Great Britain was invaded 

 by the Romans, they neglected their cattle, and large portions of the 

 country was covered with forests, into which the animals strayed, be- 

 came wild and numerous; as the country was settled they disappeared. 

 A few still remain in Chatelherault Park, owned by the Duke of 

 Hamilton, in Lanarkshire; and in the Park of Chillingham Castle, in 

 Northumberland, the seat of the Earl of Tankerville; they are kept 

 for curiosity, their color is uniformly white or cream, and their nose 

 black. 



The breeds of cattle now found in Great Britain, and from which 

 we have derived our stock, have attained their present size, beauty 

 of form, and capacity to fatten, by breeding, crossing and feeding 

 within the short period of fifty years — and almost every district on 

 the Island has its breed of animals — which are classed by the size 

 of their horns; as for example: the long horns improved by Mr. 

 Bakewell, of Leicestershire; the short horns, from East York, im- 

 proved in Durham; the middle horns, a distinct breed, inhabiting 

 Devon, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire; the crumpled horn of the 

 coast, and the hornless cattle of Suffolk and Norfolk. The cattle are 

 always large where the pasturages are rich, and fall off in size and 

 beauty in proportion to their privations; so among the Welch hills the 

 ox becomes a miserable runt. 



Of all the varieties, I believe it is pretty generally acknowledged 

 that the middle horns, or Devons, are the native cattle of Great Bri- 



