PROCEEDINGS OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 
S7 
well as any short-horned steer could do, and, in its prime, was computed to 
weigh 65 stones. They are shy in summer, hut tame in winter, and will eat hay 
from a fold, although they will not taste Turnips. When one . of the herd becomes 
■weak or feeble, the rest set upon it, and gore it to death. At the end of the last 
century, similar cattle existed at Burton Constable, Yorkshire, and at Dunnlary, 
in Dumfriesshire, but these are now extinct. From the absence of all recent 
notice of these animals, there appears to be little doubt but they are genuine 
descendants of the wild cattle of the ancient Caledonian forest. The author quoted 
a passage from Boetius, descriptive of the ancient Caledonian cattle, and which, 
allowing for a little colouring, described these animals very well, except in the 
non-existence of a mane. The cattle at Dunnlary had black ears, but in all other 
points resembled those of Chillingham ; and this may be accounted for by a state¬ 
ment of Bewick, that about forty years ago some of the animals had black ears at 
Chillingham, and were shot by the keeper. On the whole, the author was 
inclined to think these animals the survivors of the Caledonian cattle, which 
undoubtedly extended through the northern provinces of England; and that, 
under the protection of the owners of Chillingham, they had escaped the general 
destruction dependent on the advancement of civilization, &c., in the country. 
Mr. Selby knew these cattle very well. Swainson had referred them to the 
genus Urus , but he thought them at any rate a species of our domestic genus 
Taurus. Mr. Webb Hall considered this paper as a breeder of cattle. It was 
extraordinary that so much purity and high character should remain amongst so 
small a flock of animals. It was opposed to all the conclusions of recent physio¬ 
logists. The only means he had of explaining the fact was the relative number 
of the two sexes in the herd, and the care that was evidently taken to prevent 
the existence of tainted or imperfect animals amongst them. 
Prof. Morren, of Liege, then read a paper, in French, “ On the production of 
Vanilla in Europe.” The author stated that there was some difficulty in 
determining the species from which the present supply of Vanilla was obtained. 
He had succeeded in cultivating and obtaining fruit from Vanilla planifolia. It 
does not naturally produce odoriferous fruit. The author suggested that it might 
be grown in our intertropical colonies, but thought the climate of Britain not 
adapted for it. In order to obtain good fruit, the plant should be allowed to grow 
five or six years; the fruit was not in proportion to the flowers; and the older, 
the larger, and the more branches the plant possessed, the better was the fruit. 
Exposure to the sun was not necessary for the maturation of the fruit, shade, heat, 
and humidity being the three conditions necessary for the flowers. He then went 
into several particulars with regard to its cultivation, for a notice of which see 
Naturalist , Vol. III., p. 492. 
