Page:The Zoologist, 3rd series, vol 2 (1878).djvu/300

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
276
THE ZOOLOGIST

cattle-breeder's skill, seems to me to constitute its chief claim to the attention of zoologists. Artists should bear this in mind when representing it. That it has any peculiar claim to be descended from Bos primigenius I fail to perceive, and should rather point to domesticated Bos longifrons as its immediate ancestor. Bos primigenius bears in its turn the same relationship to the older (but still post-tertiary) Bos giganteus, which the contemporary and still existent Bison europæus bears to the older Bos priscus." This view, it will be seen, differs somewhat from that of Prof. Rutemeyer, whose opinion, if we mistake not, was based on a skull or skulls of the Chillingham breed presented to him by the Earl of Tanker- ville. — Ed.]

Chartley. — On June 29th, 1877, we walked up to the cattle in Chartley Park, Staffordshire (the seat of Earl Ferrers), and after they had once or twice moved away from us a short distance, keeping in single file, they allowed us to come up within ten or twelve yards of them without showing the slightest further symptom of shyness. There were sixteen animals together, and one sickly cow which kept by herself a few yards from the herd, making a total, inclusive of a bull, cow and young calf we had previously seen in the distance in another part of the park, of twenty head. They stand about as high as the Jersey breed, the bulls looking almost bison-like in shape, with very thick, solid fore-quarters, and very light and "tucked up" about the back ribs. The udder of the cows is very small, inclining for- wards, reminding one of a sheep's.* The teats are black or blackish. The black on the nose extends a little (about an inch) beyond the naked part; some have a very little on the lower lip. Several have their fore-legs half way up to the knee lightly dotted with small black spots. The whole of the inside of their ears and about half of the outside, coal-black. The pro- portion of black on the outside varies a little. Young calves are of a bright white, older animals rather duller, while the old bulls, bullock, &c, are dirty while, or cream-colour ; but this latter is perhaps the colour of their skin, showing through their extremely thin coals. The herd is made up somewhat as follows : — One nine-


This is also the case with the cows of the European Bison. — Ed.