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Illustrations of the Breeds of the Domestic Animals of the British 
Islands, consisting of a Series of coloured Lithographic Prints 
of the Horse, the Ox, the Sheep, the Goat, and the 
Hog. By David Low, Esq., F.R.S.E., fyc. Parts 11, 12, 
and 13. 
Tflis work progresses in interest and value as it approaches 
its close. The 11th number is devoted to milch cattle, and par- 
ticularly to the Scottish breeds. First among them, as regards the 
quantity and the quality of the milk, stands the Ayrshire breed 
— a few years ago scarcely deserving of notice — not mentioned 
at all by Culley, either in his early work in 1790, or his later ac- 
counts of the recognised breeds of the north ; and described by 
Ayton as, within his own recollection, being a puny unshapely 
race, rarely yielding two gallons of milk in the day, or exceeding 
twenty stones when fat. 
It is now generally supposed to have descended from the Al- 
derney breed, a few individuals of which found their way to the 
parish of Dunlop, and whose value was soon acknowledged there. 
This tradition is confirmed by the similarity between the Alderney 
breed and the modern Ayrshire. The general resemblance is now 
so great, that the one may occasionally be mistaken for the other. 
There certainly has, at some period, been a mixture of blood be- 
tween the two. The Ayrshire cow is docile, gentle, hardy, and 
gives a large quantity of milk, in proportion to her size and 
food. It fattens quickly ; but yields, in comparison with some 
other breeds, a small quantity of meat. This fault, however, has 
been remedied to a considerable degree, and the Ayrshires are 
much larger in bulk than they used to be. 
Having mentioned the Alderney as the progenitor of the Ayr- 
shire breed, the next cut is naturally that of the Alderney, a 
small and somewhat ill-formed breed, but highly esteemed for 
the quantity and richness of their milk ; hence, in many parts of 
the southern districts, they are regarded as a kind of appendage 
to the park and rural villa. 
The author now travels farther north, and describes one of the 
varieties of the Fifeshire cow. The animal of which he gives a 
beautiful portrait is black, with a little white under the belly. 
She belongs to the Falkland breed, a race of cattle introduced 
200 years ago, and far superior to the mixed varieties that have 
succeeded to it. 
The Sheeted breed is next given, not on account of any peculiar 
value which it possesses, but from the peculiarity of its colour. 
