HIGHLAND SHOWS IN 1879 AND 1880. 409 



and Monarchs, all tracing back through the Tillyfour 

 herd to that at Keillor. Youth, and consequent lack of 

 depth of carcass and substance in the cow class were 

 pitted successfully against good type, great wealth of 

 flesh, and no little character. Three young cows had a 

 hard run with Eva, from Ballindalloch, and Madge, from 

 Aboyne. The judges ultimately left the elder pair in 

 the background, but many looking on would have placed 

 them in the order named first and second. Mr Hannay's 

 four-year-old Blackbird 2nd 3024, of Montbletton descent, 

 a sweet stylish animal, rather bare of flesh and light of 

 scale, but full of bloom, was placed first, followed by 

 Sunshine 2nd 3333, and Sybil 2nd 3526, the two latter 

 retaining their Edinburgh positions of 1877. Symmetry 

 and remarkable neatness pulled Sir George Macpherson 

 Grant's Birthday 3373 to the front in a very large and fine 

 muster of two-year-old heifers. She, however, failed to 

 breed, and the prize ultimately went to Mr Hannay's 

 second. If Mr Skinner's Gaiety, first yearling at Aber- 

 deen in 1876, was unable to keep her place, she was able 

 to produce a daughter to repeat the mother's performance. 

 The daughter, a neater and also fatter heifer than the 

 mother was at the age, topped a large and good class of 

 yearlings at Perth in 1879, though, like her mother, she 

 never did much more in breeding showyards. 



"AtKelsoin 1880, unlike the Perth and Aberdeen 

 experiences, the northern polls did not form the best 

 filled bovine classes. Numbers, however, were relatively 

 shorter than quality. Prince Albert of Baads, after 

 winning the first prize at the Royal English show at 

 Carlisle a fortnight before, was an easy winner in the 

 aged bull class. By this time he had developed into 

 possibly the best polled animal that has been shown in 

 modern times, if not indeed at any time. His shoulders 

 were a trifle strong, but he had not another faults 

 Justice, from Ballindalloch, through a little lightness 



