366 WILD WHITE CATTLE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



At Chartley we do not know what was done formerly ; 

 but we know that of late the necessity for a cross has 

 been felt, and an attempt made to take one. We have 

 every reason to believe that in all these herds the general 

 opinion of mankind, founded on observation, and since 

 confirmed by science, was in former days allowed to pre- 

 vail, and that occasional infusions of new blood, without 

 destroying the type, preserved the herd itself from ex- 

 tinction. In the time of Bewick and Whitaker several of 

 these herds bred with tame cattle ; the Chillingham and 

 Gisburne are especially mentioned as having done so : 

 and it is particularly remarked how strongly, in the 

 former case, the calves resembled the wild animal. This, 

 in ancient times, when the herds were much more nume- 

 rous, and their owners much less scrupulous than now, 

 must have had a great effect upon the cattle of the sur- 

 rounding districts, and have modified them considerably, 

 particularly as the wild bull was so impressive when put 

 to the domestic cow. It also afforded great facilities for 

 another thing — for taking crosses which retained the 

 type of the wild sort and partially inherited the same 

 blood ; and I am told, on good authority, that this 

 opportunity was taken advantage of in some cases, and 

 that such crosses did take place. 



Of late years the demand for excessive and un- 

 natural purity of blood, and the large amount of pre- 

 judice which has prevailed — each owner considering 

 his own herd the only pure and original one — has 

 prevented beneficial renewal. In one instance the 

 proprietor of one of the oldest herds persistently 

 refused to supply with a cross another herd as old 

 as, and very kindred in character to, his own, and the 

 consequence was the latter could not be kept up. We 



