l62 HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



list of the prize-winners at the first General Show of the 

 Society : 



Class I. — Best Pair of Shorthorn Bullocks (i entry) — Mr Rennie, younger 

 of Phantassie. 



Class II. — Best Pair of Aberdeenshire Bullocks (3 entries) — I Mr Rennie, 

 younger of Phantassie ; 2 Messrs Bogue & Walker, Snawdon ; 3 Mr Dickson, 

 Dunse. 



Class III.— Best Pair of West Highland Bullocks (5 entries)— I Mr 

 Alexander Brodie, Coalston Mains; 2 Mr Home Diinnmond, M.P. The 

 other exhibitors in this Class were Sir William Forbes of Pitsligo ; Sir John 

 Buchan Hepburn, and Mr Dickson, Dunse. 



Class IV. — Best Pair of Bullocks of the Angus, Fife, Galloway, or any 

 other Breed (3 entries) — i Mr Rennie, younger of Phantassie ; 2 Mr Russell, 

 Meadowfield ; 3 Mr James Stuart. The pair shown by Mr Stuart were stated 

 to be of the Marquis of Stafford's Dunrobin breed ; and the judges ' thought it 

 proper to mention that one of this pair was superior to all the rest of the class, 

 though the inferiority of his companion prevented ihem from awarding the pre- 

 mium to the lot as a pair.' 



Class V. — Ox showing the most symmetry, fat, or weight, of any age or 

 breed (3 entries) — i Mr Rennie, younger of Phantassie, for one of his pair of 

 Shorthorn bullocks ; 2 Mr Gulland of Stripeside, for a very large black ox of 

 the Fife breed. In this same class an Aberdeenshire ox was shown by Mr 

 Dickson, Dunse. 



At this first general show the premier place in the com- 

 petition in Class V. between the breeds is taken by a Short- 

 horn. The first prize pair of Aberdeenshire cattle in Class 

 II. were probably horned ; for Mr Youatt, speaking of Mr 

 Rennie of Phantassie, says he used to prefer the Aber- 

 deenshire as fatteners to any other kind of Scotch cattle, 

 and the context shows that he is speaking of horned ani- 

 mals.* Contemporary records of the show afford no indi- 

 cation of the breed of the animals winning the first and 

 second premiums in Class IV. 



The Shorthorns, besides taking the first place in merit, 

 were the most numerously represented breed. Mr Rennie 

 showed as extra stock 23 Shorthorn bullocks, which ' ex- 

 hibited a uniformity of stamp and character that would have 

 done credit to a district in which the cultivation of this 

 valuable breed was better known.' He also exhibited a 

 two-year-old Shorthorn bull, bred by Mr Robertson of 

 Ladykirk, after his bull Sirius (598). Mr Rennie's prize 

 pair of Shorthorn oxen were also bred by Mr Robertson. 



* Youatt on Cattle. Page 106. 



