PORTLETHEN HERD. 287 



regularly. Mayflower 2376, calved in 1865, produced her 

 first calf when two years old, and bred every year after- 

 wards up to 1881, when she was sold to the butcher at 

 sixteen years old. With one exception, Captain Beedie 

 has never had a cow that missed calf. 



Portletken. 



Among herds that have contributed most substantially 

 to the improvement and extension of the breed, that at 

 Portlethen occupies a high position. The first bull used 

 in the herd was Colonel 145, calved prior to 1818, being the 

 oldest animal, the date of whose birth is given in the 

 ' Herd Book.' It was some years later, however, before 

 the late Mr. Eobert Walker established the pedigree herd, 

 which rapidly acquired a great reputation not only in 

 Scotland, but also in France. Mr George J. Walker, 

 the present owner of the herd, furnishes us with the 

 following note regarding it : " The first known to me 

 about the herd is the fact that in 1818 the bull in use was 

 called Colonel, a prize bull of his day, and Forty his son. 

 At that time there appears to have been two distinct tribes 

 the Jackets, a short-legged, neat, black animal ; and the 

 Brown Mouths, a lengthy beast, arid coloured as named. 

 These are all gone. Bulls were got, as far as I can see, from 

 Mr Walker, Fintray, and Mr Hector, Fernyflatt that is, 

 from 1826 to 1836. Later, they were obtained from 

 Crathes and from the produce of females brought from 

 Ardestie, Mains of Kelly, Kinnaird, etc. All our best 

 bulls of late years say since 1856 have been home-bred. 

 Within my recollection none but polled cattle have been 

 kept at Portlethen. The first draft sale I remember was 

 in 1847. There was one, I think, in 1843, but I have no 

 record of it. Banks of Dee 12 ; the Andrews Andrew 8 

 and Young Andrew 9; Eaglan 208, for whom the late 

 Emperor Napoleon offered 230 at the Paris show in 1856; 



