found near Newstead, Roxburghshire. 135 



by Sir Duncan Campbell, — " That out of Garloll, ane loch of 

 Argyle, the yeir of God M.DX yeiris, came ane terrible beast, 

 als meikil as ane grew hound, futit like ane ganar, and straik 

 down greit trees with the dint of her tail, and slew thre men 

 quhilks wer at their hountis with thre straikis of her tail ; 

 and wer not the remanent hunteris clam up in Strang aikis, 

 they had been all slane in the samin maner." — ^Chap. vii., 

 Bellenden's Trans, of Boethius 1 History.) 



It is curious, however, to trace the description of these 

 white cattle, maned like lions, &c, published by Boece in 

 1526 ; as it seems to have been adopted by naturalists on his 

 authority, and to have apparently been the only source from 

 which they derived their descriptions. Aldrovandus, in his 

 work, " Quadrupedum Omnium Bisulcorum," Bonon, 1632, 

 referring to the older work of Gesner, "Historia Animalium,'' 

 1551 ; notices these white cattle, in all probability from their 

 being described as having manes like lions, &c, under the 

 name of Bison album Scoticum, sive Calydonicum, using the 

 very words of Boece already quoted. Then, in the " Historia 

 Naturalis deQuadrupedibus" of John Jonston,MJ)., published 

 at Amsterdam, 1657, we have this same description of Boece, 

 again in part repeated ; in two different places, however ; 

 first, in the Chap. " De Bove Domestico ;" and again, " De 

 Bobus Feris,' 1 with a marginal reference to Aldrovand. His- 

 tor. Bisul. To shew this more fully 1 may quote the passages, 

 Art. 1, De Bove Domestico. Differential, p. 34. " In Scotia 

 boves sunt sylvestres colore candidissimo, juba densa ac de- 

 missa, truculenti et feri, adeoque ab humano genere abhor- 

 rentes, ut ab iis quae homines vel manibus contrectarint, vel 

 halitu perflaverint, per multos dies abstineant, dolo capti, 

 moriantur. Carnes cartilaginosse habent." And again, Art. 2. 

 De Bobus Feris, p. 1. De Bisonte. " Hue pertinet et Bison 

 Scoticus. Candidissimum esse aiunt, in formam leonis jubam 

 ferre, csetera mansuetis simillimum, verum adeo ferum et 

 indomitum, humanique consortii hostem, ut quas herbas aut 

 frutices human a contrectatas manu senserit, plurimos dein- 

 ceps fugiat : captum autem arte quadam, mox pree msestitia 

 mori.'' So that we have now two species, apparently made 

 out of Boece' s description ; and accordingly, in the Scotia 



