Polled Aberdeen and Angus Cattle. 
373 
coat of hair, and has altog^ether a slightly more shaggy appear- 
anoe than the nortliern Polled cattle. I desire, however, to 
avoid comparisons of this kind. 
Admirers of the breed claim that it surpasses all others in 
the production of beef. On that point there is of course con- 
siderable difference of opinion ; lor at the present day, vi^hen 
the beef-producing properties of our other leading breeds, 
notably the Shorthorn and Hereford, have been developed to so 
high a degree, it could not be expected that with anything like 
unanimity any one breed would be accorded the premier 
position. Be that as it may, I think the Polled Aberdeen and 
Angus breed may fairly enough be said to be inferior to none 
as all-round beef-cattle, and superior to all others in some 
respects. The brilliant and unequalled position it has latterly 
taken alike in the Showyard and market-place sufficiently esta- 
blishes its claim to that description. I have already referred 
to the distinguished achievements of the breed at the Paris 
Exibition in 1878, where it carried off every single honour for 
which it was entitled to compete, including the lOOZ. prize for 
the best group of beef-producing cattle in the Exhibition. 
Then in our own Showyards, both fat-stock and breeding, it 
has won a leading position. The late Mr. McCombie, of 
Tillyfour ; Sir William Gordon Gordon Gumming, Bart., of 
Altyre ; Mr. James Bruce, Burnside ; Mr. James Reid, Grey- 
stone ; and others, have within the last ten or fifteen years won 
a large share of the leading honours at the English Fat-Stock 
Shows with animals of the breed. Among the great Showyard 
achievements of the breed were those of Mr. McCombie's famous 
Polled ox in 1867. That fine animal, bred at Tillyfour, was 
exhibited at the Birmingham and Smithfield Fat Stock Shows 
in 1867 when four years old, and at both Shows made almost a 
clean sweep of the special honours. At Birmingham he won the 
15/. and silver medal as the best in his class ; the Earl of Powis's 
silver cup, value 25/., for the best steer or ox bred and fed by 
the exhibitor ; two special prizes for the best Scot ; the Hotel and 
Innkeepers' 30-guinea cup for the best animal in all the cattle 
classes ; and the gold medal or 20/. for the best steer or ox in 
the Show. At Smithfield he won the first prize and silver 
medal as the best in his class, and the 40/. silver cup for the 
best steer or ox in the Show, along with the 20/. gold medal to 
his breeder. From Birmingham the ox was, by the Queen's 
desire, forwarded to Windsor for Her Majesty's inspection ; and 
Her Majesty was afterwards graciously pleased to accept from 
]\Ir. McCombie her Christmas baron of beef from the carcass 
of this fine animal, of which Her Majesty had expressed great 
admiration. A year or two afterwards Her Majesty visited 
