James Wilson

“ The colour of the Suffolk cattle may be inferred from a communication of Sir Thomas Beevor's, published in the Bath Society's " Letters and Papers:" "The cows you saw were bred from the polled or horn-less Suffolk dun-coloured cows (than which, for profit, though not for beauty, I think, with the most intelligent Mr. Young, there is not so valuable a breed in England) by a Derbyshire black-and-white bull [6] given me by my friend. ”

“ In Esterdalen and Gudbrandsdalen, the two large eastern valleys of the country, the native breed is black or dun, in some cases red, most of the individuals being horned: only a few are polled. The breed in the western parts of Norway we suppose to be the most ancient, or one of the most ancient, in our country."
The other quotation, and the following illustration of a cow of the Swedish fell or mountain (Fjåll) race are taken from Sundbärg's "Sweden, its Population and its Industries," published in 1904. "The History of the cattle in our country presents a good many vicissitudes. ”

“ The Law of Uppland, A.D. 1296, describes Swedish cattle as being small, hornless, white or whitish grey, often with dark spots. The Alpine breed in Northern Sweden is so still, a race we have every reason to consider as being the oldest in the country."
There is some doubt as to whether the colour here called "whitish grey" is the same as our light dun. Samples of hair which have been procured through the kindness of several correspondents in Sweden are some white and some light dun. It ought to be mentioned that several of the British "wild" white herds are, or were, hornless. ”

“ We are not very sure that the bull is ever without horns, [29] though we have been told that such bulls there are. What is produced by putting a horned and an unhorned male and female together, no man has ever tried that thought the result worthy of observation." [30] The colour of the cattle in Skye in Johnson's time is not recorded, but dun and yellow, the colours produced by crossing black and red with light dun are common among Highland cattle; and light dun itself is not unusual. ”

“ The favourite colour is pure black. The brindled ranks next in esteem, and the dun is not disliked. Pure white or streaked are counted inferior." [25]
Here, in a few words, we have the early history of the modern Aberdeen-Angus breed. Scarcely had the inland horned black cattle begun to unite with the hornless coast cattle when they resolved to take in partners from the south. In course of time the amalgamation resulted in a breed with characters derived from several sources: blackness from the native horned cattle, hornlessness from the coast cattle, and size from the cattle from the south. ”

“ This mixture produced their uncommon colour of mouse and white, as well as that shape and make which pleased you, and is so much esteemed by the best judges of cattle; their heads and necks being small, their legs short, carcases large and deep, and loins remarkably broad ”

“ But the Durham people of 1778 had no idea that a Durham cow could ever have been hornless. Weather and time must have made the old cow polled, and the new one therefore was carved to look a Shorthorn! But, "the horns were made this time of lead, lest she should ever again be reduced to the condition of a polled beast." ”

“ Their colour is not recorded, but, in the "Annals of Agriculture" for 1792, a writer called Treby mentions both yellow and hornless cattle in South Devon.' [35]
The Somerset Polls.—These are also extinct. Low wrote of them: "The Sheeted Breed of Somerset ... has existed in the same parts of of England from time immemorial. The red colour of the hair has a slight yellow tinge, and the white colour passes like a sheet over the body. The individuals are sometimes horned, but more frequently they are hornless." ”

“ The Angus Doddies and the Buchan Humlies.—The hornless cattle of Forfarshire and Aberdeenshire may be considered together because their histories are parallel, and because,although there are no definite records to the point, there can be very little doubt but that they are merely separate links in a chain of hornless cattle that occupied the lands on the coast from Forfarshire to Morayshire, if not farther. ”

“ At the present day, light dun and dun occur more frequently among the Highlanders of Skye and the neighbouring islands than among those of the mainland; and an inspection of the foundation entries in the "Highland Herd Book" indicates that at one time these colours were of more frequent occurrence than now. ”

“ Low was absolutely clear that they were of Scandinavian origin, after having fully compared them with the cattle of Norway. The cattle of Iceland, which are undoubtedly Norse, were thus described by Uno von Triol in 1780: "Their beeves are not large, but very fat and good. It has been reported by some, though without foundation, that there are none without horns: it is true, however, that they seldom have any." [39] It might also be remarked that the old Caithness cattle bore some of the characters of the hornless cattle: "The chest was small, and the ribs flat, and the back thin ”