ATTEMPTS TO PROCURE A CROSS. 249 



This very ancient herd had, previously to the time of 

 the present Mr. Legh, been much neglected ; and since 

 he took possession of it several unforeseen accidents 

 have occurred. The principal of these were — the loss 

 of two cows, and impairment of the fertility of 

 others by the foot-and-mouth complaint, and the re- 

 tention at one time of a single bull which proved 

 infertile. Mr. Legh also attributes — and, no doubt, 

 justly — its present diminished numbers to long con- 

 tinued in-and-in breeding from near affinities. This last 

 cause was rapidly producing the same result at Lyme 

 which it did at Wollaton and Gisburne ; and as the herd 

 was always small — never consisting for many years of 

 more than fourteen or fifteen, a portion only of which 

 were females — it was unable to bear such losses, and has 

 been reduced in consequence to very narrow limits. 



Various efforts were made to meet the evil. An 

 attempt to procure a bull from Chillingham proved 

 abortive ; but a cow and bull-calf were obtained from 

 Grisburne, as will be seen in the account of that herd. 

 This, as Mr. Legh remarked, was a great mistake ; for 

 the Grisburne cattle, being hornless, were very unsuitable 

 as a cross, nor does it appear that in other respects this 

 step proved beneficial. Subsequently, however, Lord 

 Ferrers very kindly supplied Mr. Legh with a bull, 

 which I saw in a walled paddock near the house. He 

 is of the genuine Chartley stamp — a good, thick, 

 cloggy, short-legged animal, and of the ordinary size of 

 the Chartley bulls, but not nearly so large, it is said, as 

 the old Lyme bulls were. 



In addition to this,the Lyme herd, when I was there, 

 consisted of four animals : one bull, three years old, of 

 Mr. Legh's own sort ; one cow of the same sort ; and 



