232 WILD WHITE CATTLE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



technically called leather in the males — both in the 

 bulls, with their pendent chins and dewlaps, and in the 

 steers, with their grand briskets — was remarkable, and 

 even the pretty calves, with their excellent necks and 

 double chins, were in this respect very striking. 



The head was very elegant in the cow, masculine in 

 the bull, kind (to use an agricultural term) in the steer ; 

 in none coarse. It was much set off by the nearly 

 straight, yet gracefully curved, horns, which were 

 strongly indicative of blood and breeding. These were 

 of no great circumference in proportion to their con- 

 siderable length ; in most instances there was little or 

 no black tip, but, as in the Improved Long-horns, a 

 light brown one; and in those cases where the tips 

 were black, they were generally not so black as in most 

 other of the white herds, and can only be said to have 

 been slightly tipped with that colour. The horns grow out 

 sideways — horizontally — somewhat downwards at first 

 for perhaps two-thirds of their length, and then a little 

 up, in the form of an ogee. This was very apparent in 

 the two-year-old bull I saw on my first visit ; his horns 

 had not then begun to turn up, but grew out very 

 straight sideways and somewhat downwards, giving 

 him a peculiar and not agreeable appearance. The eye 

 was lively, yet mild and benignant, and by no means 

 indicative of ferocity : indeed, the whole expression of 

 the face gave you the idea of placidity and good 

 nature. This was increased by what appeared to me 

 to be a peculiarity of their own. The lower part of 

 the face was sleek and free from long hair, but on the 

 top of the poll, reaching equally in all directions, and 

 in front coming down nearly to the eyes, was a large, 

 round, raised, spreading mass of long white hair. 



