TEE WOODBASTWICK EERD. 313 



circles round the eyes were dark brown. She was in 

 calf when she came, and produced a bull, which was 

 retained; the dam remained barren for more than a 

 year, and her second calf at Woodbastwick, a heifer, 

 was by her first." So this herd originated. Mrs. Cator 

 the widow, the present Mr. Albemarle Cator, and the 

 Eev. William Cator the son, and Mr. William Birkbeck 

 the son-in-law of the late proprietor, all assert that these 

 cattle first came from Gunton. And this is further 

 confirmed by the circumstance that at Blickling they 

 were considered to be of kindred origin, and were 

 strengthened and increased by mutual exchange of 

 calves. At Woodbastwick red-eared calves were pre- 

 ferred, at Blickling black-eared ones ; and as we have 

 seen that at Gunton there were those having ears of 

 either colour, the same was the case also sometimes in 

 both of the above herds descended from that source. 

 An exchange of calves was therefore arranged. Mrs. 

 Cator, widow of the original owner of the Woodbast- 

 wick herd, writes thus : — " I can quite recollect an ex- 

 change of calves between ours and the Blickling herd ; 

 and, as well as I remember, there was a sort of compact 

 between my husband and the old steward at Blickling, 

 sanctioned by Lord Lothian, that when they had a 

 red-eared white calf they were to give us the refusal 

 of it, and that we in turn were to do the same when 

 we had a black-eared one." This is quite confirmed in 

 a letter to me from Mr. Parmeter, of Aylsham, who 

 has been for a great number of years agent of the 

 Blickling estate. He says : — " A gentleman in this 

 county, Albemarle Cator, Esq., of Woodbastwick, Nor- 

 wich, had cattle of almost the same character. He 

 and the steward for the time being of Lady Suffield 



