ne fant 
and the colour of the skin is red or white, or 
various commixtures of red and white, while 
that of the bare portion of the nose and around 
the eyes has the tint of cream. “The external 
appearance of the short-horn breed,” remarks 
Mr. Dickson, “is irresistibly attractive. The ex- 
quisitely symmetrical form of the body in every 
position, bedecked with askin of the richest hues 
of red and the richest white, approaching to 
cream, or both colours, so arranged or commixed 
| as to form a beautiful fleck or delicate roan, and 
possessed of the mellowest touch; supported on 
| small, clean limbs, showing, like those of the race- 
| horse and the greyhound, the union of strength 
' with fineness; and ornamented with a small 
lengthy tapering head, neatly set on a broad, 
firm, deep neck, and furnished with a small muz- 
zle, wide nostrils.—prominent, mildly-beaming 
eyes,—thin, large, veiny ears, set near the crown 
of the head, and protected in front with semi- 
circularly bent, white or brownish-coloured, short, 
smooth, pointed horns ;—all these several parts 
combine to form a symmetrical harmony, which 
has never been surpassed in beauty and sweet- 
ness by any other species of the domesticated ox.” 
The short-horned breed are the prevailing cat- 
tle of Yorkshire and Durham; they have become 
common in many parts of the counties adjoining 
these, particularly Northumberland, Cumberland, 
_ and Lincolnshire; they more or less abound in 
_ Essex, Middlesex, Surrey, and some other dis- 
tricts remote from the places in which they 
originated; and they have, for some time past, 
| been in general requisition on estates in most 
| parts of the three kingdoms, which are in any 
_ tolerable degree distinguished for attempts to 
improve local breeds by crossing. Till about 
forty years ago, few were seen north of the 
_ Tweed; but, for a considerable time past, they 
have existed in as great perfection in Berwick- 
shire and Roxburghshire as in the counties of 
York and Durham, and have been more or less 
intermingled with the prevailing live stock of 
the Lothians, Fifeshire, Perthshire, and other 
districts of the Scottish lowlands, and have even 
| penetrated from county to county till they have 
become not unknown in the vicinity of John-o’- 
Groats. . 
Middle-Horned Cattle—The middle-horned cat- 
tle of North Devonshire appear to many good 
judges to be direct descendants of the aboriginal 
cattle of Great Britain; and they are usually re- 
garded as a very distinct and favourable variety 
of the middle-horns. They exist in greatest 
purity in the district extending from the river 
Taw westward along the sea-board of the Bristol 
Channel to a point east of Parrett, and landward, 
by Barnstaple, South Molton, Chumleigh, and 
Tiverton, to a point not far from Wellington. 
They are esteemed, in their native district, in 
Norfelk, and in some other parts, for the richness 
and volume of butter yielded by their milk ; they 
are favourites, in some parts of England, for the 
CATTLE. 
7Al 
draught; they have been tried in some districts, 
even so far distant as the extreme west of Ire- 
land, for the improving of other breeds; and they 
have themselves been eventually so much im- 
proved that, in their own country, they would 
probably suffer deterioration from any crossing 
with any other distinct variety. They have 
been tried in Scotland; but they do not seem to 
agree with its climate. They have yellowish 
horns, a pure, rich red colour, and tolerably good 
symmetry and points. They are inferior to the 
short-horns for feeding, and to the Herefords for 
the shambles; and, though fleshy, they cannot 
compare with either the short-horns or some of 
the Scotch middle-horns, for fine mixture of fat 
and lean. “The horn of the bull,” says Youatt, 
“ought to be neither too low nor too high, taper- 
ing at the points, not too thick at the root, and 
of a yellow or waxy colour. The eye should be 
clear, bright, and prominent, showing much of 
the white, and it ought to have around ita circle 
of a variable colour, but usually a dark orange. 
The forehead should be flat, indented, and small ; 
for by the smallness of the forehead, the purity 
of the breed is very much estimated. The cheek 
should be small, and the muzzle fine; the nose 
should be of a clear yellow. A black muzzle is 
disliked, and even a mottled one is objected to 
by some who pretend to be judges of the true 
Devon. The nostril should be high and open ; 
the hair curled about the head, and giving, at 
first appearance, an idea of coarseness which soon 
wears off. The neck should be thick, and that 
sometimes almost to a fault. Excepting in the 
head and neck, the form of the bull does not 
materially differ from that of the ox, but he is 
considerably smaller.” 
The Hereford cattle have a nearer resemblance 
than any other middle-horned variety to the 
short-horn breeds; and they were unaccountably 
mistaken by Mr. Culley for a cross between the 
Welsh and a bastard variety of the long-horns. 
They pay the feeder better than the breeder ; for 
their cows are very bad milkers; while their oxen 
and heifers, when in good condition, are exceed- 
ingly well adapted to the shambles. They have 
their beef well developed in the best points; and 
though a heavy breed, they generally sell at first- 
rate prices in Smithfield. They seem well adap- 
ted in form and strength for heavy farm work ; 
but they want sufficient activity, and are now 
very seldom seen in the yoke. “The counte- 
nance of this breed,” says Mr. Marshall, “is plea- 
sant, cheerful, open; the forehead broad; eye 
full and lively; horns bright, taper, and spread- 
ing; head small; chop lean; neck long and ta- 
pering ; chest deep; bosom broad, and projecting 
forward; shoulder-bone thin, flat, no way protu- 
berant in bone, but full and mellow in flesh ; 
chest full; loin broad; hips standing wide, and 
level with the chine; quarters long, and wide at 
the neck ; rump even with the level of the back, 
and not drooping, nor standing high and sharp 
