ON THE HEEDS OF WILD CATTLE IN THE PARKS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 139 



During the last ten years Lord Tankerville has been trying the 

 experiment of strengthening the domestic breed by crossing wild cattle 

 and shorthorns. He commenced with a "wild bull and two shorthorn 

 cows. They produced a heifer and bull calf respectively, on June 10 and 

 17, 1877. Both the calves had red noses, though the male's was smutted 

 with black ; while the heifer (her dam's first calf) was the more cori'sctly 

 marked about the ears. The bull calf, being the first male of this new 

 race, was named ' Adam.' 



In April 1878 Adam's dam, a shorthorn cow, produced a bull calf 

 by Adam. This bull when 3^ years old measured 56 inches at the 

 shoulder. In the following year Adam became the father of two more 

 bull calves out of shorthorn cows. 



In 1877 a wild yearling heifer was shut off from the herd, and the 

 following year a second one, in continuation of this experiment. The elder 

 one dropped a calf by a shorthorn bull in 1880, but it died ; its fertility 

 was afterwards at least temporarily impaired by a remarkable contingency, 

 but in October 1881 both were supposed to be in calf to a shorthorn 

 bull. None of these wei'e to be added to the wild herd, nor were the 

 wild cows to be ever readmitted. 



Lyme. — Mr. W. J. Legh, writing on June 3 last, states that this ' herd 

 ceased to exist about four years ago.' 



It will be of interest, therefore, to mention what state it was in ten 

 years ago, since which time we have no particulars of it. 



The herd being on the decline as long ago as the year 1859, Mr. Legh 

 purchased in October of that year the last surviving cow and calf from 

 the Gisburne herd, and added them to his at Lyme.^ The latest account 

 published of this herd appeared in the ' Zoologist ' for August 1878, and 

 refers to a visit paid in June 1877. Correcting one or two obvious errors 

 by comparing this account with Mr. Storer's, taken in August 1875, the 

 following list includes the animals that were nearly, or quite, the last 

 representatives of this ancient and interesting herd : — 



One old bull, said in 1877 to be dying of old age, and to be eleven or 

 twelve years old, though referred to by Mr. Sfcorer in 1875 as three 

 years old ; one bull, brought from Chartley as a yearling, in 1877 was 

 probably rising or upwards of seven years; one cow, aged about ten; 

 one cow, out of the above cow, by the old bull, died previous to 

 August 1875 ; one bull, out of the last-named cow, probably by the 

 Chartley bull, sent to Chartley ; one cow, hlacJc, out of the old cow first 

 mentioned, by the Chartley bull, was in 1877 rising or turned five probably ; 

 one heifer, about two years old, by the old bull, out of the old cow, both 

 first mentioned ; one heifer, about eighteen months old, out of the black 

 cow, by the old bull ; one heifer calf, by the Chartley bull, out of a 

 domestic cow ; one heifer calf, from Vaynol. 



Somerford. — In July last the herd consisted of thirty animals, made 

 up as follows : — 3 bulls — viz., one born about April 1885, one born about 

 March 1886, one born about June 21 last; 18 cows of all ages, the 

 youngest being about two years old ; 5 heifers — viz., one about two years 

 old, one born about February 1886, one born about May 1886, one born 

 about June 1886, one born about September 1886 ; 4 heifer calves — viz., 

 one born January, two born about end of April or beginning of May, 

 one born July 21 ; total, 30. 



No steers are reared ; all surplus bull calves are fed for veal. 

 ' Storer, Wild White Cattle, p. 290. 



