WHITE FOREST BREED. 121 



shire breed, we find the medium horn, often the 

 direction of the curve with the frequent black tip, 

 pointing to the M'ild breed, as also the white face, or 

 starred forehead, and the " rigged " back occasionally 

 or frequently recurring, to direct our attention to the 

 transition cattle between the original stock, and the 

 recorded results of breeding, coeval with the ad- 

 vanced interest in agricultural pursuits at or about 

 1800. 



These cattle in their present state are easily and 

 readily tamed, and crosses with common stock are 

 occasionally noted. Such with the forest bull are 

 said by Bewick to invariably take the color of the 

 father and to retain some of the fierceness. ^^ One 

 recorded instance of the crossing of a cow of the 

 white breed l)y a common bull, gives the color of the 

 progeny as after the forest pattern, but witli mottled 

 legs.*® Another, between the white bull of the Ham- 

 ilton herd and a Shetland cow, produced a very 

 good-looking polled ox, " nearly' quite ))lack," and 

 greatly superior in weight to the Shetland cow.^^ 



When we consider the small number of these cat- 

 tle, and the length of time they have been preserved, 

 and how narrowly they have escaped utter extinction, 

 it is difficult to suppose that they have been retained 

 in their purity ; still less when we consider the dis- 

 turbances of the times, the number of cattle grazing 

 continually in their vicinity, and the striking resem- 

 blance which is often shown to them by cattle of 



8" Bewick's Quadrupeds, 41, note. 



" Hindmarsh, Ann. and Mng. of Nat. mst. 1839, ii, 280. 



'<' Dr. Knoi, Jour, of Ag. ix, 3Ba. 



