Page:The Evolution of British Cattle.djvu/139

 bred together, produced blacks (25 per cent.), duns (50 per cent.), and light duns (25 per cent.), among each kind of which there were horned catde (25 per cent.), hornless masqueraders (50 per cent.), and hornless cattle (25 per cent.). That is to say, among sixteen cattle—any number might be taken—the chances were that there were 4 blacks (i horned, 2 hornless masqueraders, and i hornless), 8 duns (2 horned, 4 hornless masqueraders, and 2 hornless), and 4 light duns (1 horned, 2 hornless masqueraders, and 1 hornless).

Again, when the first crosses—the dun hornless masqueraders—were bred with the natives, there were produced, blacks (50 per cent.) and duns (50 per cent.), among each kind of which there were horned (50 per cent.) and masquerading cattle (50 per cent.). Thus, if farmers had a predilection for either of the two new productions—the black hornless or the light dun horned—they had merely to keep on breeding from these, and, in time, they would have nothing else. There being no deception about the colours, it is easy to see how the whity-grey or light dun vanished long ago, and the dun lingered on a while longer, while the hornless masqueraders, a gradually decreasing number, kept the horns bobbing up till comparatively recent times.

The blackish-brown cattle, the "foundlings" as we have called them, the date of whose