132 Notices of various Animal Remains 



drive their domestic cattle before the advance of an invader, 

 and where of course traces of the original breeds are most 

 likely to be found. Full allowance must, however, at the 

 same time, be made for the wonderful changes produced on 

 cattle by variety of situation, and climate, by pastures, and 

 attention on the part of their possessors to their breeding, 

 so as to favour, from what originally might be an accidental 

 peculiarity, the preservation and gradual spreading over the 

 herd of some fancied excellence, or beauty, or fashion of the 

 time. The Galloway cattle may perhaps be cited as an in- 

 stance of the changes produced in this way ; they are now 

 known as a breed of polled or hornless cattle ; whereas, it is 

 said, that so late as the middle of the last century, the greater 

 part of them had horns of a rather small or medium size. 



The Ancient White Cattle, still existing in some gentle- 

 men's parks, may also, it seems to me, be considered as an 

 instance of a beautiful and much-esteemed variety of our do- 

 mesticated cattle, being artificially preserved ; and, as these 

 are believed by many to be the last remains of our native 

 wild cattle, I may perhaps be excused entering a little into 

 detail on this curious subject. We find, among these various 

 herds of park-kept, so-called Wild White Cattle, at present 

 or lately in existence in the country, a considerable diversity 

 in their general appearance ; some with red ears, others with 

 black, and this latter peculiarity occurring occasionally even 

 among those of the red-eared variety, as mentioned by Bewick 

 of the Chilli ngham cattle ; and some having horns, while 

 others have none, as the breed of wild white cattle at Gis- 

 burne, in Craven, Yorkshire (Vide Bewick's Quadrupeds) ; 

 and, besides other little peculiarities, we have also the occur- 

 rence from time to time among these breeds, of cattle more 

 or less marked with brown or black spots, but these indivi- 

 duals are always killed, to prevent this variety spreading 

 among the herd : — " And when the calves have been taken 

 young, they have been completely tamed, and become like 

 the common domestic ox, feeding as rapidly in confinement 

 as a short-horned steer." — (Vide Paper " On the Wild White 

 Cattle of Chillingham," by William Hindmarsh, Esq., in the 

 Annals of Nat. Hist, for 1839, vol. ii.) All these peculiari- 



