PB0FE880B RUTIMEYER'S OPINION. 153 



years." That was 1838; and both he and Lord Tanker- 

 ville arrive at the same conclusion: "that the probability 

 is that they were the ancient breed of the island, en- 

 closed long since within the boundary of the park." 

 In this opinion I altogether concur. Tradition, locality, 

 similarities of form and colour, and a large amount of 

 cumulative evidence, seem to prove that, whatever were 

 the wild cattle which abounded in the North of England 

 and in Scotland during the historic period, of the same 

 breed also are the Ohillingham wild cattle; and Pro- 

 fessor Eutimeyer, judging them solely by their " osteo- 

 logical characteristics," and declaring that, as respects 

 these, " the question about the relationship of the cattle 

 of Chillingham is a pure anatomical one, and perfectly 

 independent of the historical " (which, he intimates, 

 " examines merely whether the herd has ever been a tame 

 one or not"), arrives at the following very positive 

 conclusion : — 



" Putting aside the lesser size, the skull differs in no 

 way from the wild Primigenius. The Chillingham skull 

 is an elegant diminished copy of the mightier and 

 stronger diluvial oxen of Europe, and the historical 

 descent of the first from the last cannot be doubted." 



The Professor further remarks upon the "uncommon 

 fineness and delicacy of the bones " of the Chillingham 

 oxen ; and although agreeing with Hermann von 

 Nathusius that such "fineness and delicacy" are "never 

 to be found in real wild cattle," he attributes these 

 peculiarities to their partial confinement, to their 

 obtaining their food easily and without labour, and to 

 their not having been subjected to " cross-breeding." 

 These causes he considers sufficient, in the course of 

 ages, to " affect the texture of the bones and muscles " 



