282 EXISTIKG SCOTCH HERDS. 



M&rlicli. 



Mr Cran, Morlich, Towie, has been breeding polled 

 cattle for a long time. He was fortunate enough to pro- 

 cure from Mr M'Combie of Tillyfour the cow Beauty of 

 Morlich 2072, and she has proved a most fortunate invest- 

 ment. Calved in 1854, she was got by Angus 45, and out 

 of that grand-breeding cow Windsor 202, of the Queen 

 tribe, the dam of Lord Southesk's "Windsor 221, and of 

 Mr M'Combie's Eob Roy Macgregor 267. Beauty of 

 Morlich 2072 has left a numerous and excellent progeny. 

 The strain is held in high repute, and worthily so no less 

 on personal merits than on account of the choice Tillyfour 

 blood which it alone in the female line preserves. Mr 

 Cran does not show except at the local meetings at Tarland 

 and Kildrummy, and he had the honour of gaining on one 

 occasion the challenge cup presented by Her Majesty the 

 Queen with one of the descendants of Windsor. Another 

 very lucky purchase by Mr Cran was the bull Balwyllo 

 EcUpse 781, bought at the Balwyllo sale in 1863 for 23 

 guineas. He was after Sir William Wallace 308, and out of 

 Princess Eoyal 444, by Cupbearer 59, of the Victoria family 

 at Balwyllo. This bull was used with satisfactory results 

 in the herd. Among other sires introduced were Bogfern 

 -901, bred by Mr Shaw, after the Highland Society's first- 

 prize bull Palmerston 374, and tracing on the dam's side 

 to the Keillor herd ; and Marshal Var 1452, bred by Mr 

 Hannay, got by Young Viscount 736, and of the Castle 

 Fraser Mina tribe. Mr Cran has made a good many 

 sales privately, and his bull calves have always fetched 

 high prices at the Aberdeen joint sales. 



Pitfour. 



The foundation of Colonel Ferguson's herd at Pitfour 

 was laid in 1869, by the purchase of two heifers from 



