LORD TANKERVILLE'S DESCRIPTION. 157 



you almost come among them, particularly if on horse- 

 back. But then they have also a thousand peculiarities. 

 They will be sometimes feeding quietly, when, if' any 

 one appears suddenly near them, they will be struck 

 with a sudden panic and gallop off, running one over the 

 other, and never stopping till they get into their sanc- 

 tuary. It is observable of them, as of red deer, that 

 they have a peculiar faculty of taking advantage of the 

 irregularities of the ground, so that, on being disturbed, 

 they may traverse the whole park, and yet you hardly 

 get a sight of them. Their usual mode of retreat is to 

 get up slowly, set off in a walk, then a trot, and seldom 

 begin to gallop till they have put the ground between 

 you and them in the manner that I have described. 



" In form they are beautifully shaped. They have 

 short legs, straight back, horns of a very fine texture, 

 thin skin, so that some of the bulls appear of a cream 

 colour ; and they have a peculiar cry, more like that of 

 a wild beast than that of ordinary cattle. With all the 

 marks of high breeding, they have also some of its 

 defects ; they are bad breeders, and are much subject to 

 the ' rash ' — a complaint common to animals bred in- 

 and-in, which is unquestionably the case with these as 

 long as we have any record of them. 



" When they come down into the lower part of the 

 park, which they do at stated hours, they move like a 

 regiment of cavalry, in single file, the bulls leading the 

 van ; and when they are in retreat the bulls bring up 

 the rear. Lord Ossulston was witness to a curious way 

 in which they took possession, as it were, of some new 

 pasture recently laid open to them. It was in the evening, 

 about sunset. They began by lining the front of a small 

 wood, which seemed quite alive with them, when all of 



