1094 Hornless Ruminants. : [Dec 
never, except once, was near them. This was in a Time of Rain, — 
by a wide River, where there was a Boat to ferry over the Drovers, , 
The Cows were about fifty in Number, and took the Water like 
Spaniels; and when they were in, their Drivers made a hideous 
Cry to urge them forwards: this, they told me, they did to keep 
the Foremost of them from turning about; for, in that Case, the 
rest would do the like, and then they would be in Danger, es- 
pecially the weakest of them, to be driven away and drowned by 
the Torrent. I thought it a very odd Sight to see so many Noses 
and Eyes just above Water, and nothing of them more to be seen, 
for they had no Horns, and upon the Land they appeared, in size 
and shape, like so many Lincolnshire Calves.” 
Noted by Pennant, 1769.—Pennant, in his tour, has noted the 
existence of polled cattle in Sutherlandshire, and, at an earlier 
date, noted that the Scotch cattle were “ often hornless.” 
By Dr. Samuel Fohnson and Boswell in 1773.—Dr. Samuel 
Johnson, in his tour in Scotland, passed through the Buchan 
district of Aberdeenshire, in 1773, on his way to the Highlands. 
When in Skye the doctor appears to have been particularly 
struck with the cattle and the manner of treating and marketing 
them: | 
sting. Whether this difference be specific or accidental, though 
we inquired with great diligence, we could not be informed. ai 
are not very sure that the bull is ever without horns, tho ‘ 
have been told that such bulls there are. What is produ a 
putting a horned and unhorned male and female together i 
man has ever tried that thought the result worthy of observation. 
A worthy passage! As a sequel to it I quote a passage | 
from the constant Boswell : 
“ This forenoon (November 4, 1773) he (Dr. J.) observe ee 
cattle without horns, of which he seems to have taken nonet 
his journey, and seems undecided whether they be of a parit ol 
race. His doubts appear to have had no foundation, apie se 
spectable neighbor, Mr. Fairlie, assures me they are a PEN 
species, and that when any calves have horns a mixture @ ont to 
can be traced. In confirmation of his opinion he po! Ge wk 
me the following passage in Tacitus [‘ De Mori et ver ohnson.” i 
(already quoted)], which he wondered had escaped Dr. Jon oo 
It is impossible that in Skye the Scots called these ah : 
Cattle humble. The only word they knew was maol. aor o 
EIT 
