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CHAPTER VII.

EXTINCT HERDS.

(1) The Keillor herd: Old Grannie 1-Her remarkable career, and list of her calves-The Kinnochtry Princesses, Baronesses, and Emilys—Mr Watson's cows Old Favourite and Favourite 2-The Kinnochtry Favourites Beauty of Tilly four 2nd 1180-the Wellhouse Ruths and Ballindalloch Jilts-Mr Watson's Beauty and the Ballindalloch Ericas— Lord Southesk's Dora 333-Mr Harry Shaw's Jane of Bogfern 540-The Portlethen Pansys-List of families descended from Keillor cows—Famous bulls bred at Keillor.—(2) The Ardovie and Ardestie herds: Black Meg 766-Panmure 51-The Tilly four Queen tribe-Families tracing to Ardovie stock-Earl o' Buchan 57-Mr Fullerton's losses by pleuropneumonia. —(3) The Tillyfour herd: Cows owned by Mr M'Combie in 1850-Queen Mother 348, and her illustrious offspring-Mr M'Combie's system of breeding-Table showing descendants of Queen Mother 348 -The Pride of Aberdeen family-Remarks on famous animals at Tillyfour- Mr M'Combie's unparalleled success in the show-yard-His public sales.

THE history of the origin, building up, and composition of extinct herds has an important bearing not only upon the leading existing herds, but likewise upon the position which the breed generally has come to occupy. We shall therefore present some details relating to those herds that, although now dispersed, have in the greatest measure contributed to the improvement of the breed.

Keillor.

As already noticed, Mr Hugh Watson, Keillor, Forfarshire, was the first to establish a regular herd of polled

cattle. His operations are described in Chapter IV., and therefore a short sketch will suffice here.

Perhaps the most notable animal bred by Mr Watson was Old Grannie, or the Prima Cow, No. 1 of the 'Herd Book.' She was calved in 1824, and died on 1st July 1859, at the age of thirty-five years and six months. Mr Watson's object in keeping her till she died of old age was to ascertain how long an animal of the breed with a fine constitution could be profitably kept, and to what age it would live in its natural state. Old Grannie was the dam of 25 calves, 11 of which were registered in the 'Herd Book.' She gave up breeding in her twenty-ninth year, and yielded no milk after nursing the calf of the previous year. She was exhibited at the Highland Society's show at Aberdeen in 1858, when her owner was awarded the Society's medal as the exhibitor of so remarkable an animal. The cattleman (James Thomson), who had attended her all her lifetime, and had been in the service of Mr Watson for forty-two years, was presented with a medal and premium of 100 francs by the "Société Protection des Animaux Justice et Compassion Hygiène de Paris," through their secretary, M. Dutrone. A photograph of the old cow, taken two days before she died, was, at the request of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, placed in the collection of cattle photographs at Balmoral in October 1859. Of this photograph an engraving appears in vol. i. of the Herd Book,' from which these facts are extracted. The following are the names of the calves of Old Grannie, whose pedigrees are recorded in the 'Herd Book': Bulls, Strathmore 5, calved 1851; Old Windsor 115, sire Black Jock 3; First Memus 129, sire Black Jock 3; Hugh 130, calved 1852, sire Old Jock 1; The Baron 134, sire Black Jock 3. Cows: Hope 3, sire Grey-breasted Jock 2; Lady Clara 4, sire Grey-breasted Jock 2; Beauty of Buchan 5, sire Grey-breasted Jock 2; Young Favourite 61, sire Grey-breasted Jock 2; Edinburgh 64, sire Grey

breasted Jock 2; Keillor 231, calved 1852, sire Old Jock 1. It is probable that the date of calving of some of these is inaccurately stated, and we may note that while the lastnamed is given in the list of her produce as one of the calves of Old Grannie, the dam is not specifically stated in the entry of Keillor 231. The blood of Old Grannie 1 circulates in the male line in many existing tribes of cattle, and she has also several living female descendants. In 1839, Mr Ferguson, Kinnochtry, obtained from Mr. Watson two of Old Grannie's daughters-Young Favourite 61 and Edinburgh 64-and they are now worthily represented by the Kinnochtry Princesses, Baronesses, and Emilys, to whom reference is made in other portions of the work. Another daughter of Old Grannie, Lady Clara 4, was bought by Mr M'Combie of Tillyfour, from whom her daughter Mariana 622 passed into the possession of Mr M'Combie of Easter Skene.

We are glad to say there are still numerous descendants of the Keillor cows Old Favourite (who has not been registered in the Herd Book'), and her daughter Favourite 2, respecting the identity of whom there has been some confusion which it is impossible to completely unravel. Favourite 2 was bought by Mr Ferguson, Kinnochtry; and Old Favourite was sold to Mr Bowie in 1848, but she left no female produce at Mains of Kelly, although she was the dam of Mr Bowie's bull Earl Spencer 2nd 25. Old Favourite, we may here recall, was the dam of Old Jock 1 and Angus 45. From Favourite 2, Mr Ferguson's Favourite family is directly descended. Octavia 331 was bought by the Earl of Southesk at Mr Watson's sale at Auchtertyre in 1853 for £44, being entered in the catalogue as after Old Jock and out of Old Favourite. Octavia is without female representative, but her blood is still preserved by the stock descended from her in the male line, particularly in the Kinnochtry, Mountblairy, and Montbletton herds. Beauty of Tilly four 2nd 1180, out of Favourite 2, and after

Young Jock 4, was purchased by Mr M'Combie of Tillyfour at the Keillor dispersion sale in 1860 for £64. In Mr M'Combie's possession, she, as already noted, bred in 1863 Jilt 973, and in 1865 Ruth of Tillyfour 1169, both after Black Prince of Tillyfour 366. We need say nothing here about the descendants of these animals, further than to remark that with the Kinnochtry Favourites, the Ballindalloch Jilts, the Wellhouse Ruths, and the Aboyne Madges, Mr Watson's grand strain of Favourite blood is in no danger of extinction. The Favourite tribe is further represented by the offspring of Miss Watson 987, purchased at Keillor in 1860 by Mr M'Combie of Tillyfour. The Keillor blood is also maintained in the female line by the Ballindalloch Ericas. Emily 332, bred at Keillor, and out of one of Mr Watson's cows called Beauty, was bought by the Earl of Southesk at the Auchtertyre sale in 1853 for 39 guineas, Octavia and Emily having been the two highest-priced animals at the sale. Emily's daughter, Erica 843, by Cup-Bearer 59, was acquired from Lord Southesk by Sir George Macpherson Grant, Bart. of Ballindalloch, M.P., and with her he founded his well-known Erica tribe.

A very superior cow called Dora 333, bred by Mr Watson, was bought by the Earl of Southesk. She founded a valuable tribe, now extinct in the female line, but still potent in the male line, through the bulls Druid 225, Damascus 495, Don Fernando 514, Delaware 457, and Draco 338, used at Kinnaird, Rothiemay, Tillyfour, Easter Skene, and Ardhuncart respectively.

Mr Harry Shaw, Bogfern, obtained two heifers from Mr Watson. From one of them, Jane of Bogfern 540, by Grey-breasted Jock 2, there are some descendants, the most noted perhaps being Lord Fife's fine cow Corriemulzie 1701.

From another Keillor cow, named Panmure 278, the Portlethen Pansy family springs.

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From Life by AM Gauci

JUSTICE (1462) at 4 YEARS OLD.

Winner of 15 Prize at Highland Society's Shows at Perth 1879 & 1st at Surling 1881. The Property of Sir George Macpherson Grant, Bart of Ballindalloch

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