136 WILD WHITE CATTLE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



and relating that "from these regions that formerly 

 most vast Caledonian Wood took its origin," notices the 

 extinction of the bears, of which it was once, according 

 to ancient writers, extremely full (" refertissimam "), 

 and after further mentioning that it still had "wolves in 

 great numbers, and of the most savage kind," proceeds 

 as follows : — 



" In Caledonia there was formerly common, but 

 now more rare, a kind of forest bull, which, of the 

 purest white in colour, carries a mane, thick and hanging 

 down, like that of the lion. It is fierce and savage, 

 abhors the human race ; and anything that man has 

 either touched or breathed upon, for many da} r s it 

 altogether avoids. Besides this, so great was the 

 audacity of this bull, that not only would it when 

 irritated madly overthrow horsemen, but even when 

 provoked ever so little, it would attack all men pro- 

 miscuously, both with horns and hoofs, and it would 

 utterly despise the attacks of our dogs, which are of the 

 most ferocious kind. Its flesh is cartilaginous, but of 

 the sweetest flavour. It was formerly common through- 

 out that most vast Caledonian Wood, but, destroyed by 

 man's gluttony, it remains in three places only : Stirling, 

 Cumbernauld, and Kincardine." 



It will be observed that there is considerable resem- 

 blance in the descriptions of the wild bull, as given by 

 Boethius and Bishop Leslie ; but not more than was 

 natural when the two writers were describing the same 

 animal, and when the later writer had, of course, read 

 the description of the earlier. But the bishop's account, 

 short as it is, adds many fresh particulars. It mentions 

 the numerous bears with which the Caledonian Wood 

 anciently abounded, and the very savage wolves which 



