238 WILD WHITE CATTLE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



moderately ripe, they would make at least 70 stones of 

 14 lb. Whitton told me that he had frequently eaten 

 their beef, which he described as very juicy and good, 

 but somewhat coarser-grained than common butcher's 

 beef, perhaps owing to their greater age. Captain 

 Walsh assured me that the beef of the steer just 

 alluded to was far superior in flavour to any beef he 

 ever tasted — rich, juicy, and delicious — dark in colour, 

 and eating short, while the fat was elastic and re- 

 sembled that of venison. 



I could not make out that any tradition existed that 

 the Chartley herd had ever been crossed, but efforts 

 have been made in this direction. Some correspondence 

 took place in the late lord's time with Lord Tankerville 

 for an exchange of bulls, and Whitton remembered 

 a young bull being selected for this purpose; but 

 the negotiation proved abortive. A few years since a 

 young bull was obtained from Lyme Hall, the produce 

 from a Lyme cow of a bull Lord Ferrers had given to 

 Mr. Legh. When it came it was not approved, and 

 was never used, but was immediately made a steer. It 

 was thought to be coarser and larger in the bone than 

 the Chartley cattle, to have less black on the nose and 

 hoofs, and shorter and thicker horns. If a cross had 

 been at any time required, undoubtedly facilities for it 

 existed. Whitton remembered well the time when the 

 tenants and neighbours were permitted to turn their 

 cows into the park to be served by the wild bulls. This 

 privilege has been withdrawn, but some results of it 

 still remain; and both he and the keeper knew well a 

 cow so bred, and agreed in saying that her owner 

 considered her the best milker he ever had. I also 

 observed, as we approached the park from Stafford, in 



