WILD WHITE CATTLE. 411 



broken up, or seeds sown, and contains a very great variety of 

 wild jslaiits. The cattle are fed on hay during winter in sheds. 



Vaynol. — In August last the herd here consisted of fifty-three 

 animals — namely, 1 old bull, 2 young ditto, about 20 cows, and 

 about 30 heifers and calves of both sexes. They are short - 

 legged, straight-backed animals, all white with black muzzles, 

 black tips to the ears, and more or less black about the hoofs, 

 varying, however, in individuals, some being only faintly marked 

 in this way. They all have horns, not very long, sharp, and 

 turned up at the ends, but not quite uniform. In winter they are 

 fed with hay, but are never housed, and none of the cows are 

 ever milked. The beef is of excellent quality. The original 

 importation of this herd from Kilmory took place in 1872, con- 

 sisting of 22 head — namely, 1 bull, 9 cows, 6 heifers rising two 

 years, 6 yearling steers. In May, 1882, the herd numbered 37 

 or 38, including eight young calves, and one bull, which would be 

 killed when three years old. In August, 1886, the remainder of 

 the Kilmory herd were brought here — namely, 2 yearling bulls, 

 14 cows and heifers, 8 two-year old heifers, 8 yearling heifers ; 

 32 in all. The average number of calves born yearly (previous 

 to the addition of the remainder of the Kilmory herd) was about 

 14, of which perhaps half a dozen were reared, the remainder 

 being killed for veal. Some time within six or eight years of the 

 first instalment of cattle coming to Vaynol a black bull calf was 

 born. Very few deaths occur, and only among the calves, of 

 which now and then one dies of " scouring." The cattle, although 

 never handled nor housed in winter, are not fierce, and will allow 

 a near approach (except when they have calves) without showing 

 any signs of impatience or alarm. Since the arrival of this herd at 

 Vaynol in two instalments no fresh blood has been introduced, nor 

 have any exchanges been effectual ; nevertheless, Mr. Assheton- 

 Smith is of opinion that the cattle have improved both in size 

 and weight. Sir John Orde, in a letter dated June 1st, 1887, says 

 that, shortly before he parted with the herd, he obtained two 

 young bulls from Hamilton, with a view to changing the blood, 

 but they proved useless, and both met with accidents, and had 

 to be destroyed. His desire to introduce fresh blood was owing 

 to an opinion that the cattle were deteriorating in bone and horn 

 from close -breeding, and also slightly in fertility. The origin of 

 the Kilmory herd, as gathered by Storer, is that the late Sir John 



