30 
being herself of the longer-legged variety. The period of gestation has been, first time, 38 weeks 4 days ; 
the second, precisely 39 weeks." 
" One of my Eland bulls has served two of our domestic cows, an Ayrshire and a short-horn." 
" A cow has been tried with the male Eland, but he fought her so she was obliged to be removed, to 
save her from being killed. I think she should have been brought and put with him for some little time 
before her coming in use." — June 11, 1844. 
" Surely you do not consider the Cephalophorus, or indeed any Antelope, unless perhaps the Elands, 
amongst the Bovidce. The Elands are in high force, but none of our cows have proved in calf to the bull 
Elands'' 
" I fear the experiment of a cross between the Eland with our domestic cattle will not succeed. I do 
not hear that any of the cows is in calf. I wish I had one or two more cow Elands ; four to one is too 
large a proportion." — May 31, 1845. 
" I am glad to report that the Eland cow is again in calf. I see no hopes of a mixed breed between 
the Eland bull and the common cows, as the latter were in danger more of being killed than any other 
treatment. 
" By the way, I am sorry to tell you that my Eland cow has today produced another calf, and another 
male. Alas ! I could have wished much it had been of the other sex; but it is very strong and healthy, 
and I hope we may in regard to it parody Cranmer's consolation to Henry the Eighth on Elizabeth's birth : 
' This bull promises cows hereafter.' " 
" We were very near having another very serious loss in the old female Eland, but by quickly applying 
proper remedies, she is now, we trust, out of danger. You are probably not aware that these animals are 
most voracious and almost insatiable. They are with us generally fed in their house, and when they are 
considered to have eaten sufficiently, are driven out into the paddock for exercise. In doing this, the old 
lady slily kept back when the others went out ; and as they had left some portion of the food in the 
trough, she managed, before her delay was observed, to clear off the whole, and was subsequently seized 
with a sort of bloat. However, being treated properly, she is now doing well again. This would have 
been a most serious matter a month or two back, before she had produced a daughter ; but even with this 
advantage I should have regretted her loss, as even now we have but two females to three males, and there 
could have been but one addition at most next season ; so that the establishment of the breed here would 
still have been very doubtful." — March 1, 1846. 
" Thompson thinks Madam Eland is now quite safe again. His opinion is now, that she has been 
weakened by breeding too fast." — March 10, 1846. 
" Mrs. Eland, I am glad to say, is all right again." 
" My Eland cow is certainly in calf, as well as the Bison and Leucoryx, but the calf will come at rather 
a bad time of year." 
" My five Eland and four Wapiti make a very pretty herd, and as yet agree very well ; but when Mr. W. 
gains his full head, we must not expect it. They will be separated before then." — May 31, 1845. 
" I know you will be glad with me to hear that Mrs. Eland has at last mended her ways, and has this 
time produced a young lady; so that I now begin to flatter myself that even without fresh importation we 
may look on the breed as established in this country. I now possess therefore, of this kind, four males 
and two females ; and I am not without reasonable expectation that the application I had previously made 
to Cape residents may yet produce more. I have at this moment nine young things, all doing as well as 
possible here : three Harness Antelopes, three Hog Deer, two Nylghaus, and the Eland'' 
" On the return of Burke's expedition to S. Africa in October 1842, he brought home to me, with 
several other articles of natural history, three Xvim^ Elands, two males and one cow, which are all now living 
in Europe. The cow and one bull were of the short-legged variety. On being landed on the quay at 
Liverpool in too small a wicker cage and struggling, she broke off one horn quite short, but has never 
suffered from it. Male No. 1. is the short-legged one; Male No. 2. is the long-legged one, and was sent 
to the Jardin des Plantes, December 1845. The following is their pedigree :" — 
THE SHORT-LEGGED COW ELAND. 
^ J _^ ^ , ^ 
By Male No. 1. By Male No, 2. By Male No. 1. By Male No. 1. 
Served August 31, 1843. Served June 10, 1844. Served March 30 and April 7, 1845. Served January 31, 1846. 
a MALE calf, a MALE calf, a FEMALE calf, 
Fawned May 27, 1844. Fawned March 10, 1845. Fawned January 6, 1846. 
