EXTINCTION OF TEE HERD. 293 



Staniforth's account, at a much later period ; finally, by 

 selection, these colours were extirpated : ears, muzzles, 

 even hoofs, were white, and they entered the Manchester 

 Museum as " The White Variety." They had anciently, 

 according to Bewick, more tendency to white than most 

 other wild herds, and that colour, being cultivated, finally 

 prevailed. As regards mildness, they were more ferocious 

 formerly than at last ; but even to the end were very 

 pugnacious towards one another. As regards size, there 

 is abundant evidence to show that they were a large, fine 

 breed of cattle, fair milkers, and of good quality ; even 

 in their very last days, when they had much degenerated 

 and deteriorated, there is clear enough evidence to show 

 that they were as large as ordinary Short-horns. 



The great cause of their extinction — long-continued 

 inter-breeding — has been clearly shown : they were "bred 

 out." And the evil must have been much intensified 

 and its operation quickened by the small numbers of the 

 herd ; for many years they must have been bred from 

 very close relationships. Once, in the time of the late 

 Lord Bibblesdale, who died in 1832, an exchange was 

 proposed through a mutual friend, Mr. Spencer Stan- 

 hope, of Cannon Hall, Yorkshire, by Edward, third Lord 

 Suffield, of Grunton Hall, Norfolk, whose grandfather 

 had inherited and removed to Norfolk the Middleton 

 herd. The negotiation was carried on for some time, 

 and turned upon the question whether " black or red 

 noses had been the fashion at Grunton ;" thus clearly 

 showing that the latter colour at least was not then 

 considered alien to the Grisburne cattle. As the Gunton 

 cattle had, however, black muzzles, Lord Eibblesdale 

 would have none of them, and so lost for ever the 

 chance of perpetuating the herd. In one of his letters 



