230 T. H. NELSON : A VISIT TO CHILLINGHAM PARK. 



The late Lord Tankerville, writing in 1838, says: — 

 ' I must premise that our information as to the origin of the Cattle 

 is very scanty. All that we know or believe in respect to it rests in 

 great measure on conjecture, supported, however, by certain facts and 

 reasonings which lead us to beheve in their ancient origin, not so 

 much from any direct evidence as from the improbability of any 

 hypothesis ascribing to them a more recent date. I remember an old 

 gardener, of the name of Moscrop, who died many years ago at the 

 age of 80 or more, who used to tell of what his father had told him as. 

 happening when a boy relative to these Wild Cattle, which were then 

 spoken of as wild cattle, and with the same sort of curiosity as exists- 

 with respect to them at the present day. In my father's and grand- 

 father's time we know that the same obscurity as to their origin pre- 

 vailed, and if we suppose (as, no doubt, was the case) that there were 

 old persons in their time capable of carrying back their recollections- 

 to the generations still antecedent to them, this enables us at once 

 to look back to a pretty considerable period during which no greater 

 knowledge existed as to their origin than at the present time.' 



Strangers are not allowed to go into the park without an 

 attendant, and we therefore sought out the head-keeper, Mitchie, 

 who accompanied us as our guide. Passing through the grounds 

 near the Castle, we entered into the park, and took our way towards 

 a small hill, over which Mitchie said we might probably see some of 

 the Cattle. On cautiously creeping up to the top and looking over, 

 we saw three old Bulls lying below us, and had a very good view of 

 them through Mitchie's telescope and our field-glasses, at compara- 

 tively close quarters. They were magnificent-looking animals, of a 

 creamy-white colour, with brown muzzles, and the insides of the ears 

 of a reddish tinge. Their heads were adorned with large scimitar- 

 shaped horns — most formidable-looking weapons, with which we had 

 no desire to form a closer acquaintance. Mitchie told us that these 

 old Bulls had become separated from the herd, and were living apart 

 from them at present ; when they rejoined their companions a fight 

 would ensue, continuing until the supremacy of one or the other 

 was established. The Bulls did not appear to be alarmed at our 

 presence, but we did not venture nearer to them, and returning to- 

 the foot of the hill, we made a detour, so as to avoid passing near to 

 them, and emerged upon an open plain, where a large herd of 

 fallow deer were feeding. On the slope of the opposite hill, 

 between two woods, about half a mile distant, our guide pointed out 

 the main herd of Cattle, between sixty and seventy in number, 

 including Bulls of various ages, Cows and Calves. We had to- 



* 'The Wild White Cattle of Great Britain,' by the Rev. Jno. St orer. 



Naturalist, 



