BLACK MEG 766 AND PANMURE 51. 95 



that he had over three or four polled cows in all; and 

 certain I am of this — he had no Galloways. Therefore a 

 double mistake occurs by Mr Eavenscroft placing either 

 my Black Meg or his lordship's Black Meg amongst the 

 Galloway cows in the ' Herd Book.' As for me, I never 

 had a beast of the Galloway blood in my life ; and at an 

 early period of the existence of the Eastern Forfarshire 

 Association (about the end of the last or beginning of the 

 present century), a trial to introduce the Galloway blood 

 into this county not succeeding at all well, the late Lord 

 Panmure, the then — and indeed he was the perpetual — 

 President of this Society, had ever afterwards an utter dis- 

 like to the Galloway breed, and, as is well known by many 

 in this county to this day, would not have tolerated the 

 existence of a beast of this breed in any moor, park, or 

 paddock on his wide domain. Therefore his Black Meg 

 was not a Galloway. But the bull Panmure is on canvas 

 in the Mechanics' Hall, Brechin, painted by the great J. 

 Phillip ; also he is now before me and on canvas by the 

 same great man, and presented to me by the late Lord 

 Panmure ; and let any judge look at these paintings, and 

 say if he sees the very slightest resemblance to the Gallo- 

 way breed. Not he ! No ! Half a judge would even say 

 so. His elegant head and stately outline would at a glance 

 at once bring out such a remark as, ' There has been no 

 Galloway blood there — no, no ! ' 



" Further, as to Black Meg of Ardovie 766, where did 

 she come from ? I purchased this cow from an excellent 

 man now no more — Mr Thomas Fawns, cattle-dealer, 

 Brechin. He brought her from the north, and I always 

 understood that she was bred in Buchan, although I think 

 Mr Fawns got the cow off the estate of Mr Arbuthnot in 

 the Mearns. She cost scarce £15 ; yet in those days she 

 was looked upon as bought at rather a fooUsh price. For 

 all that, I know not of any other three five-pound notes I 

 ever laid out so profitably. 



