290 WILD WHITE CATTLE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



Legh, of Lyme Park, and taken there by him (Mr. Chew) 

 in October, 1859; but this attempt to cross the breed 

 failed, as did a similar attempt which was made by 

 bringing a heifer from Lyme to Gisburne. The bull, 

 the last of his race, was killed at Gisburne, November 

 10th, 1859, at 8.35 a.m. His head is now in the kitchen 

 at Gisburne, but is so dirty, and apparently so badly 

 stuffed, that I learnt nothing from it, except that I saw 

 no signs of a mane. Mr. Chew said the beef of these 

 animals was excellent, and several other people said the 

 same. There was no tallow in them, but the fat and 

 lean all in alternate layers. "When one was killed, the 

 beef was sold at a small price to the villagers, because it 

 was an old custom, and not because of any inferiority of 

 the beef. There were 7421b. of beef sold from the last 

 bull, besides scraps of offal " — that is, that beef to the 

 amount of 53 stone of 14 lb. was sold. 



Mr. Assheton proceeds : — " I saw the same day 

 Richard Hornby, who was herdsman to the cattle, and 

 looked about sixty years of age. He told me that the 

 cattle were hornless, and white in colour : a very 

 creamy -white towards the roots of the hair. The hair 

 itself was nothing particular as to length or character ; 

 and there were no signs of any manes (this Mr. Chew 

 also confirmed) ; their noses and hoofs were white. 

 They were just as tame and quiet as other cattle to 

 those about them, but more quarrelsome amongst them- 

 selves than cattle usually are, and would fight, off and 

 on, for days. Hornby says they were as big as Short- 

 horns in their best days, but were bred out for want of 

 a cross. He had always heard that they came from 

 Whalley, and had followed a band of music thence ; and 

 I have heard from a "Whalley source as well the same 



