Chap. XX. BY THE ANCIENTS. 187 



Romans kept pedigrees of their pigeons, and this would have 

 been a senseless proceeding had not great care been taken in 

 breeding them. Columella gives detailed instructions about 

 breeding fowls : " Let the breeding hens therefore be of a 

 choice colour, " a robust body, square-built, full-breasted, with 

 " large heads, with upright and bright-red combs. Those 

 " are believed to be the best bred which have five toes." 37 

 According to Tacitus, the Celts attended to the races of their 

 domestic animals ; and Ca?sar states that they paid high 

 prices to merchants for fine imported horses. 38 In regard to 

 plants, Yirgil speaks of yearly culling the largest seeds; and 

 Celsus says, " where the corn and crop is but small, we must 

 pick out the best ears of corn, and of them lay up our seed 

 separately by itself." 39 



Coming down the stream of time, we may be brief. At 

 about the beginning of the ninth century Charlemagne 

 expressly ordered his officers to take great care of his stallions ; 

 and if any proved bad or old, to forewarn him in good time 

 before they were put to the mares. 40 Even .in a country so 

 little civilised as Ireland during the ninth century, it would 

 appear from some ancient verses, 41 describing a ransom 

 demanded by Cormac, that animals from particular places, 

 or having a particular character, were valued. Thus it 

 is said, — 



Two pigs of the pigs of Mac Lir, 



A ram and ewe both round and red, 



I brought with me from Aengus. 



1 brought with me a stallion and a mare 



From the beautiful stud of Manannan, 



A bull and a white cow from Druim Cain. 



Athelstan, in 930, received running-horses as a present from 

 Germany; and he prohibited the exportation of English 

 hoi ses. King John imported " one hundred chosen stallions 

 from Flanders." 42 On June 16th, 1305, the Prince of Wales 



37 'Gardener's Chronicle,' 1848, p. 41 Sir W. Wilde, an 'Essay on Un- 

 323. ^ manufactured Animal .Remains,' &c, 



38 Reynier, ' De l'Economie des 1860, p. 11. 



Celtes,' 1818, pp. 487, 503. « CoL Hamilton Smith, 'Nat. 



39 Le Couteur on Wheat, p. 15. Library,' vol. xii., Horses, pp. 135, 

 i0 Michel; ' Des Haras,' 1861, p, 84. 140. 



