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of the herd, and we could not examine him so well, but he seemed 
hardly so well-built a beast as the “ Old Master,” and had his 
horns spread wider apart. I was surprised to find much variation 
in the form and position of these appendages. Some are bent 
slightly downward, some forward and inward, some straighter and 
very wide apart, and one ferocious-looking steer, which kept very 
near to the cart and evidently regarded us with grave suspicion, 
had them pointing forward and upward in a manner peculiarly 
suggestive of tossing and impaling any unlucky object of his wrath. 
This beast was always foremost in any threatening demonstration, 
and had, it seems, rushed at one of the men a few days before, 
receiving a lash from a heavy whip, however, which he evidently 
recollected. As far as I could judge the steers appeared to be the 
tallest beasts, and the most inclined to take offence. The cows 
and heifers, which form three-fourths of the herd, are smaller and 
looked more gentle. The full grown bulls, of which there are but 
two or three, scarcely deigned to notice us. 
The whole number of the herd is now sixty-five, and of these 
one young bull looks very poor and weak. He has probably been 
injured in a quarrel and it is doubtful whether he will recover, for, 
as in the case of other wild animals, a sick or wounded beast 
receives little mercy from his sound companions. A very fine bull 
of five years old died a few days before our visit from inflammation 
ot the genital organs, caused by injuries received when fighting. 
Shortly before this an old cow got thrown upon its back in one of 
the rivulets and was found dead, and one or two full-grown steers 
have lately been killed for the earl’s table. From the necessity of 
keeping down the number of bulls, which otherwise would be con- 
stantly fighting, the keepers are obliged to watch the cows when 
about to calve, and when the calf has been hidden by its mother in 
some thicket and covered by her with dead leaves, they take the first 
opportunity of her absence, feeding with the herd, to examine it 
and take any measures that may be necessary. The mutilated 
males, as I before observed, grow into the largest beasts and are 
shot when required, with the rifle, for the earl’s table. The flesh 
is dark in colour and very full flavoured, with little fat, but the 
keeper assured me that it loses very little bulk in cooking. 
There seems to be no present danger of the extinction of the 
breed, as the cows continue to be fairly prolific, in spite of constant 
