The Agricultural Features of the Paris Exhibition. 185 
anything, it was undersized. It was indeed a pretty little 
picture, and was out of " Bertha," the first-prize cow at the 
Highland Society's Stirling Show in 1873, while the sire was 
an Erica bull, " Elchies," bred at Ballindalloch. " Birthday's" 
full sister was only a few days under the maximum age, but she 
was not very nice towards the tail, and, though a good useful 
heifer, had her deserts with an " Honourable Mention." 
The class of cows or heifers over two years old was also made 
up of three from Tillyfour, and two from Ballindalloch, with the 
important addition of one owned by Mr. George Bruce, Keig, 
Aberdeenshire. The five first mentioned included the first- and 
second-prize cows at the Edinburgh Highland Show in 1877 ; 
the second-prize yearling heifer on the same occasion, and the 
first-prize cow at the Perth Highland Show in 1871 ; albeit none 
of these got the premier award in Paris. It was given to Mr. 
Bruce's cow, which, having been hopeless as a breeder at least a 
year before, had been long under training for the Fat Showyard. 
On her dam's side she has a rather short-recorded pedigree. Her 
sire was a cup bull at Aberdeen, and, like most of the animals 
on her pedigree, was bred at Tillyfour. She was in a higher 
state of feeding than any others in this section, and accordingly 
stood the long journey better. Her head, neck, and shoulders 
were magnificent, and her handsome frame was laden with flesh 
and fat uniformly taken on. Second honours were hers at the 
Edinburgh Fat Show in December 1877, when Mr. Bruce pur- 
chased her. As noted above, she has gone to the English Fat 
Shows, but having, through the effects of " foot-and-mouth 
disease " and long quarantine, lost bloom, she was only placed 
second at Birmingham and Leeds ?n December last. There 
having been no stipulation at Paris regarding the breeding 
condition of the animals, she was not unfairly, though unex- 
pectedly, pulled to the front ; her plump, massive, level appear- 
ance proving attractive to foreigners. Mr. M'Combie's " Sybil," 
a five-year-old cow of Mr. Reid's breeding at Baads, and Sir 
George's " Eva," a seven-year-old Erica cow of his own breed- 
ing, fought their Edinburgh battle of 1877 over again, with a 
like result. Neither of the two is strong on the back. Both 
are wide, deep, heavy, wealthy-fleshed animals, on fine bone. 
"Sybil," however, being younger, won in 1877, and kept her 
place in 1878. She has a charming head and neck, and stylish 
gait. She was the first yearling at the Inverness Highland Show 
in 1874, and the first cow at Edinburgh in 1877 ; while her 
daughter was the first yearling at Aberdeen the same year, and 
got " Honourable Mention " at Paris, where she displayed a 
noble Iront and massive proportions for a two-year-old. The 
other cow from Tillyfour was " Gaily," a four-year-old hand- 
