82 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BREED. 



should be as even as the top and side lines ; and the bones 

 of the legs fine, flat, and clean, with plenty of muscle and 

 flesh above the knees on the fore-legs. The body should 

 stand neatly and gracefully on the legs; and when the 

 animal is stationary, the fore -legs should be perfectly 

 straight, and the hind-legs very slightly bent forwards 

 below the hock. All over the frame there should be 

 a rich and even coating of flesh. Even the hook-bones, 

 and other prominent parts, should be well covered ; and 

 above all, there should be no patchiness no hollows, and 

 no rolls of hard flesh, with spaces of soft useless fat be- 

 tween them, such as are always found in a patchy animal. 

 Except in rare cases, the skin is fairly thick, but soft and 

 pliable : it ought to be so free over the ribs, as that one 

 could fill one's hand of it. The hair is, as a rule, not 

 long, but fairly thick and soft ; and in the best animals 

 shows two growths, or rather two lengths one short and 

 thick, and the other longer and thinner. When walking, a 

 good animal of the breed presents a very compact, graceful, 

 and symmetrical appearance. Indeed it is fairly enough 

 claimed for the breed that in these and in some other 

 respects it has hardly any equals, and no superiors. The 

 above description refers more correctly to bulls than to 

 cows. The latter, of course, differ considerably in char- 

 acter. The head is much finer, the neck thinner and 

 cleaner, with no crest ; the shoulder-top sharper ; the bone 

 altogether finer ; the skin not quite so thick ; the udder 

 large, and milk- vessels large and well-defined. 



In appearance, as well as in other characteristics, the 

 polled Aberdeen or Angus breed differs substantially from 

 the polled Galloway race. The former has lived under a dry 

 cold climate, and has been fed in the house during a large 

 part of the year. The latter has its home in a moist 

 climate, and has spent much more of its time in the open 

 fields. The differences between the two are just such as 

 might be expected from their different conditions of life. 



