Polled Aberdeen and Angus Cattle. 365 
selected at the leading county fairs during the last decade of the 
eighteenth century, and the first two decades of the present 
century ; and from these and the stocks of the " Stately 
Williamsons " of St, John's Wells and Mr. Walker of Wester 
Fintray, and others, he drew the material with which he founded 
his polled herd. Of these ancient strains there yet remain 
traces in several tribes of Tilly four cattle. It was, however, 
with families raised from more recent purchases that he achieved 
his greatest success. Following the examples of Lord Panmure 
and Mr. Fullerton, Ardestie, he effected a combination of the 
Angus and Aberdeenshire varieties of the breed ; and by skilful 
manipulation of the material he acquired he brought out results 
that probably exceeded even his own highest expectations. 
His greatest triumph was the building up of the "Queen" 
family, more particularly its " Pride of Aberdeen " branch. 
He would almost seem to have decided to " stand or fall " by it, 
his attention having been mainly devoted to its development. 
His success was complete. He purchased the mother of the 
" Prides " in 1844 for the sum of 12/. 10s. ; at the dispersion of 
his herd in August 1880, ten " Prides " brought an average of 
over 80/. IO5. One " Pride," the fifth in descent from the 
12/. 10s. heifer, reached the handsome sum of 270 guineas ! 
Her plucky purchaser was the late Mr. McCombie's nephew, 
Mr. R. C. Auld, who was latterly associated with his uncle in 
the management of the Tillyfour herd, and who has now, at his 
farm of Bridgend, Alford, a select young herd, full of the best 
Tillyfour blood. 
The " Prides of Aberdeen " have the longest pedigree — that 
is, the greatest number of " registered " ancestors — of any family 
of the breed ; and are on the whole, at the present moment, 
perhaps also the most valuable and most popular. Their only 
real rivals for that position are the " Ericas " of Ballindalloch, 
a tribe that many prefer even to the " Prides." The " Pride " 
family was founded at Tillyfour by " Queen-Mother " (348), bred 
by Mr. William Fullerton, Ardestie, and purchased at his sale 
in 1844, as a yearling heifer, by Mr. McCombie for the sum of 
12/. 10s., as already stated. She was out of "Queen of Ardovie" 
(29), whose dam was "Black Meg" (766), which, as formerly 
mentioned, was believed by her owner to have been bred in 
Buchan. Then for sire she had the celebrated " Panmure " (51), 
who, being also out of " Black Meg" (766), was uncle to " Queen- 
Mother." It would thus seem that though bred in Forfarshire, 
the foundress of the famous " Prides " was but very slightly 
removed from the pure Buchan " humlie." On this point there 
has been much discussion. Some claim " Black Meg " as an 
Angus cow, and therefore assert that the " Prides " are of pure 
