DRUMIN HERD. 217 



about thirty-five years ago, by the purchase of a cow and 

 a bull from the Rev. Mr Rainy, Corse of Monellie, a famous 

 breeder, although he registered few of his stock. Mr 

 Smith, on two or three occasions, also bought animals 

 from the late Mr M'Combie of Tilly four. One of the ani- 

 mals procured from Tillyfour was, we are informed, a cow 

 which gained a prize at the Paris Exhibition in 1856. 

 This occurred before the ' Herd Book ' was published, and 

 therefore it is impossible to give names. Although the 

 herd has been kept pure since its commencement, and very 

 long prices were paid by the late Mr Smith for sires from 

 the best breeders in the country, Mr Wilson, on entering 

 the farm, was unable to trace the pedigrees further back 

 than to cows by Moonraker 591 and Ranger 590, both 

 bred by Mr Tayler of Glenbarry, the former after Elector 

 427, and descended from the Crathes herd, and the latter 

 after Bon Accord 446, and tracing from the Castle Fraser 

 herd. The sire in use at present is Fitzjohn 1687, bred 

 by Sir William Forbes, Bart., after Gainsborough 4th 1425, 

 and of the Mains of Kelly Lucy family. The bulls pre- 

 viously used by Mr Wilson were Lord Hamilton 1716, of 

 the Windsor branch of the Queen tribe, and Simon 1205, 

 a son of Palmerston 374. These bulls were all of good 

 breeding, and left stock of superior quality, and easily 

 fattened. The herd numbers about 30. Most of them 

 are descended from the old Drumfergue stock, the chief 

 addition having been Annie 2nd of Morlich 4257, repre- 

 senting the Windsor branch of the Queen tribe. 



Drumin. 



The Drumin herd was founded about 1856 by the late 

 Mr James Skinner, father of the present owner, Mr W. 

 M. Skinner. Mr Skinner then purchased three heifers 

 from Morayshire, the pedigrees of which were never ob- 

 tained. From them spring three families, of which the 



