HERD BOOK. 185 



to registration precliidod the rejection of animals 

 far more objectioual>le. The vohime of this year 

 records the names of 79 males and 216 females. Of 

 the males, the number stated to have been imported 

 is 11 ; the number whose ancestry is traced unbroken 

 to importation is 50 ; otiiers, 18. Of the females, 

 the number entered as imported is 57 ; traced un- 

 broken to importation, 109; others, 50. There are 

 thus 68 animals recorded " on the assurances of well- 

 known breeders that the animals in question are 

 thoroughbred Ayrshires." These assurances are not 

 founded upon definite information as to their breed- 

 ing ; they may be true, but there ajipears to be no 

 evidence presented that the assurances are anything 

 more than selfish opinions. 



"With the appearance of the second volume in 

 1868, the number of Ayrshires, the pedigrees of 

 which are presented complete or unbroken, is near 

 1,300. Of the bulls in Volumes I and II, about 280 

 appear to be traced to importation ; about 120 are 

 not so traced. Of the females traced to importation 

 there are about 530 ; not so traced, about 228. 



Each of these volumes bears the title, " Herd 

 Recoi'd of the Association of Breeders of Thorouofh- 

 bred Stock, Ayrshire." The second has a recognized 

 editor, J. N. Bagg, of West Springfield, Mass. 



In 1871, Volume III appeared, with Mr. Bagg for 

 editor, but with a new title, "The American and 

 Canadian Ayrshire Herd Eecord." The Canadian 

 portion is of Canadian editorship, over which it ap- 

 pears the American editor exercised no supervision. 

 9* 



