I20 THE OX AND ITS KINDRED 
Bulletin No. 129 of the Bureau of Animal Industry, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 191 1. 
Another and very remarkable breed of cattle, which 
has been introduced from Holland into the United 
States, is the one commonly known as the Dutch 
belted, but termed in its native country the lakenfeld, 
from lauken, a blanket, or sheet, in allusion to the 
broad belt of white which encircles the middle of the 
body. Apart from this white band, which varies 
from a foot to thirty inches in width, these cattle 
are wholly black. The breed, which dates back to 
at least the seventeenth century, is smaller than the 
ordinary Dutch, from which, however, it has probably 
been derived by careful selection. On account of 
this inferiority in size, it is more like the Ayrshire in 
general appearance. It is noteworthy that in their 
general type of colouring belted cattle recall the 
black-and-white breed of Dutch rabbits ; and it seems 
probable that both were evolved by selection to 
meet a special fashion. Herds of these belted cattle 
were formerly maintained by many of the Dutch 
nobility. 
Belgium possesses several types of cattle, although 
most of these do not appear to have attained the 
rank of well-established breeds. Exclusive of mixed 
types containing an admixture of shorthorn and 
Dutch blood (the latter of which is prevalent in the 
neighbourhood of Namur) six breeds are now recog- 
nised, in most of which the bulls are small, and lack 
straightness of back. All are of the milking type. 
The first type comprises the Belgian breed proper, 
and possesses two divisions, the first coming from 
Hainaut, La Hesbage, and the second from East 
