38 EARLY HISTORY OF ABERDEEN OR ANGUS CATTLE. 



Dr Keith in 1811, Youatt finds " a breed of polled cattle ;" 

 and in our opinion the latter ought to be regarded as the 

 direct continuation of the former. In other words, we 

 think it is manifest that the " native low country breed " 

 which Youatt found there some twenty or twenty-four 

 years later, really belonged to the same race, — the one, in 

 fact, being the direct lineal descendants of the other. If 

 this were not the case, then we would be shut up to the 

 belief that in the interval between the times when Keith 

 and Youatt collected the information for their respective 

 works, the " native low country breed " had entirely dis- 

 appeared — an occurrence that we imagine could scarcely 

 have happened. It is extremely improbable that a 

 " native " race possessing such valuable properties as the 

 Williamsons assigned to the " native low country breed " 

 should be so utterly neglected and abused, as to drive it 

 out of existence in the short period of twenty years. Of 

 all the varieties in Aberdeenshire in 1811 it would appear 

 to have been decidedly the best ; and on that account we 

 should rather expect it to have been preserved with even 

 more than usual care. The Buchan humlies, spoken of by 

 Youatt, form the only link through which its continuity 

 could possibly be established ; and to us it seems manifest 

 that these Buchan humlies have really come in direct 

 descent from the valuable native unmixed lowland breed 

 so highly prized by George Williamson and his brothers. 



In support of these conclusions we have still further 

 evidence. Youatt, when collecting material for his work 

 on cattle, applied to the late Dnke of Gordon for informa- 

 tion regarding the stock of cattle on and around his Grace's 

 estates. At the desire of his Grace, the late Mr A. Mac- 

 pherson, then factor on the Gordon estates in the Huntly 

 district, sent to Youatt a communication on the subject. 

 For some unknown reason, only a portion of the informa- 

 tion supplied by Mr Macpherson was made use of; but 

 through the kindness of his grandson, Mr Andrew Mac- 



