ANCESTRAL INFLUENCE. 67 



first brought into the country by means of some of the 

 early importations of Dutch or of the old Durham breed. 

 CuUey, in speaking of the Short-horns, inclines to the 

 opinion that they were originally from Holland, and 

 himself recollected men who in the early part of their 

 lives imported Dutch cattle into the county of Durham, 

 and of one Mr. Dobinson he says, he was noted for 

 haying the best breed of Short-horns of any and sold at 

 high prices. " But afterwards some other persons of 

 less knowledge, going over, brought home some bulls 

 that introduced the disagreeable kind of cattle called 

 lyery or double lyered, that is, black-fleshed. These will 

 feed to great weight, but though fed ever so long will 

 not have a pound of fat about them, neither within or 

 without, and the flesh (for it does not deserve to be 

 called beef) is as black and coarse grained as horse 

 flesh. No man will buy one of this kind if he knows 

 any thing of the matter, and if he should be once taken 

 in he will remember it well for the future ; people con- 

 versant with cattle very readily find them out by their 

 round form, particularly their buttocks, which are 

 turned like a black coach horse, and the smallness of 

 the tail ; but they are best known to the graziers and 

 dealers in cattle by the feel or touch of the fingers ; in- 

 deed it is this nice touch or feel of the hand that in a 

 great measure constitutes the judge of cattle." 



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