HIGHLAND SHOWS IN 1875 AND 1876. 403 



show at Dumfries in 1870, was a popular first. The 

 best class of the breed in the show-yard was that of cows, 

 and a noteworthy incident was that the Ballindalloch 

 Ericas were turned away without a ticket, having been 

 regarded by the judges as somewhat deficient in sub- 

 stance compared to some of the others. The Marquis of 

 Huntly's Dora 1282, of the Tillyfour Vine or Daisy 

 branch of the Queen tribe, was chosen for the premier 

 ticket, closely pushed, however, by Lord Fife's very thick, 

 deep, and rather short quartered cow Corriemulzie 1*701. 

 The Aboyne cow had skin and hair of marvellous quality. 

 Indeed her coat was as soft and fine almost as a seal's. 

 That, combined with evident milking and true breeding 

 properties, pulled her through more perhaps than really 

 inviting shapes, as was the case at Aberdeen the year 

 before, when she gained the challenge cup as the best 

 polled animal in the show, Corriemulzie then having 

 been the 'runner up.' There was nothing very re- 

 markable in the heifer classes. Mr M'Combie of Easter 

 Skene, with one of those good all round animals for the 

 production of which his herd has long been famous, 

 headed the two-year-old class, the winner having been 

 Blackberry 1813, who started well as a cow. Sir 

 Thomas Gladstone led off in a moderate class of 

 yearlings with a full sister of the second prize two-year- 

 old bull. 



"The Highland show of 18*76 was held at Aberdeen; 

 and there the turnout of blackskins was the largest, and, 

 taken all in all, the best that had up to that time been 

 witnessed. It then became the feature of the bovine 

 sections of the yard, and made an exceedingly favourable 

 impression upon visitors. It may be doubted if the large 

 numbers and general excellence of the polled animals were 

 after all the subject of most frequent comment among 

 the visitors to the cattle classes. One thing more remark- 

 able than even the excellence of the polls, was probably 



