ON THE HEEDS OF WILD CATTLE IN THE PARKS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 143 



— namely, 2 yearling bulls, 14 cows and heifers, 8 two-year-old lieifers, 8 

 yearling heifers ; 32 in all. 



The average number of calves born per year (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 lioused 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, uo fresh 

 blood has been introduced, nor have any exchanges been eSectnal ; never- 

 theless, Mr. Assheton- Smith is of opinion that the cattle have improved 

 both in size and weight. 



Sir John Orde ^ 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 quite useless, and both met with accidents and had to be 

 destroyed. 



Sir John Orde wished to have fresh blood, 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 Orde in 1838 purchased a bull, the only survivor of the Duke of 

 Bucclench's (Dalkeith) section of the old Athol herd. This was used 

 with Kyloe (West Highland) cows, carefully selected. After some few 

 years this bull and Lord Breadalbane's (Taymouth) were exchanged, and 

 the latter was used with good results until 1852, when a West Highland 

 bull calf was bought, and this sire was supposed to have much improved 

 the stock. No further crosses were made up to the time Mr. Storer's 

 book was published, 1879 ; but since then the present Sir John Orde, in 

 the above quoted letter, says that they had had at various times, crosses 

 with ordinary Highland, Ayrshire, and Indian cattle. The first named 

 was the only one found desirable, the produce of some cows recently, that 

 proved infertile with the wild bull, being very satisfactory in everything 

 except colour ; the cattle show traces of their Kyloe extraction. 



About 200 acres of the park are allotted to the cattle, consisting of 

 old (artificial) pasture, bordering a lake. This run is shared by red and 

 fallow deer, and there are a few roe deer in the plantations round the 

 park, descended from Scotch and German stock. A doe was seen in the 

 middle of August last with two fawns. 



Blichlincj. — In July last this herd comprised : — Bulls : 1, five years old ; 

 2, two years old ; 1 calf. Cows : 9 ; 2 yearling heifers ; 6 calves. Total, 21. 



Only the two young bulls and the two heifers were in the park ; the 

 others were kept up. 



Storer says that these cattle were introduced from Gunton about the 

 beginning of the present century, and that they were nearly destroyed a 

 few years since by the rinderpest, which killed off all but three or four, 

 and since then the herd has been somewhat made up, and consequently 

 somewhat altered in its characteristics. 



' Letter, dated June 1 1887. 



