CHAPTEK XVI. 



Extinct Scottish Herds — The Cumbernauld Herd — History of the Cumbernauld 

 Estate — Historical and Heraldic Notices of the Cattle — Tbeir Extinction — 

 The Drumlanrig Herd — Notices of the Cattle, and its Extinction — The 

 Auchencruive Herd — The Ardrossan Herd — Introduced about 1750 — Aban- 

 doned in 1820— Tradition that the Cattle were originally horned — Removal 

 of the last Specimens to Duchal, and disappearance there. 



In turning- our attention to the more recent descendants 

 of Scotland's ancient mountain bull, it may be con- 

 venient to consider first the herds now extinct ; and 

 Cumbernauld asserts its claim to primary notice. It is 

 centrally situated, in the heart of Southern Scotland, the 

 very umbilicus terrce, nearly equi-distant from Stirling 

 and from Hamilton, and not far from either — being 

 only about thirteen miles fiom the former, and a little 

 more from the latter. It thus connects North and 

 South ; the wild bull of the old Caledonian Forest north 

 of Stirling with the Hamilton wild cattle, and with 

 those which inhabited, as described by Scott, the con- 

 tinuous mountain ranges and the innumerable forests 

 which formerly extended from Hamilton to Chilling- 

 ham. Itself a considerable forest, Cumbernauld was 

 towards the north connected with Stirling and the 

 great Caledonian Wood by the large intervening Forest 

 of Torwood, once the hiding-place of Wallace, while 

 the great and extensive peat-mosses on its southern 

 side afforded to wild animals an opportunity of passing 

 to the woods formerly around Hamilton and the 



