Wilson — The Origin of the Dexter Kerry Breed of Cattle. 7 



(6) In Ireland and in those parts of Britain occupied till two centuries 

 ago by Celtic cattle, all cattle were referred to as " black cattle " 

 down almost to recent times. This was to distinguish them from 

 horses. 



(c) The Celtic cattle in Britain, that is in Wales, the north of England, 



and Scotland were described by early (sixteenth- and seventeenth- 

 century) writers as black. 



(d) In parts where the Celtic cattle liad been least crossed, they are 



almost invariably black, e.g., in the north-east of Scotland, 

 Gralloway, Wales, and Kerry. 



(e) Tliere is very little difficulty in breeding all our black breeds true to 



colour : the Kerries themselves, for instance. 



(/) Had the Irish cattle or any other of the Celtic breeds deviated from 

 black, such descriptions as " white-faced," " pyed," " ilecked," or 

 " brindled " would have been applied to them. 



(g) The appearance of other marks and colours than black can be 

 accounted for through the presence of intruding breeds. 



The imported cattle were of various colours. The Devons were whole- 

 coloured reds, but the three other breeds were combinations of two or more 

 colours. They came from that part of England which was a jumble of breeds 

 and races. 



Till Roman times the cattle in England were all of the black Celtic 

 race. White cattle were introduced by the Romans. Tliese two races 

 were driven into Wales and the north of England by Anglo-Saxon red 

 cattle. Several centuries ago many red and white cattle, closely akin 

 to tlie first imported Anglo-Saxon red cattle, were brought over from 

 the Low Countries to the eastern and midland counties, splitting, as 

 it were, the Romano-Celtic cattle in the north from the red Anglo- 

 Saxon cattle in the south, and uniting with them on both sides. 

 These imported cattle were generally red and white-flecked, like red and 

 white Sliortliorus ; but some were white-faced, like the Herefords, wliile 

 others had a white stripe along the back and anotlier along the under-line. 

 The relatives of them all may be seen in Holland and Germany at tlie 

 present day. 



Out of this jumble emerged the three large breeds that were imported to 

 Ireland, the Longhorns, the Shorthorns, and the Herefords. The Longhorns 

 were some kind of red roan or brindle, with white streaks above and below, 

 and sometimes with white faces ; tlie Shorthorns were red or red-and-white. 



