Page:The Evolution of British Cattle.djvu/17

 cows from 25 to 35 st. the four quarters (14 lb. the stone).

"At the first appearance of any person they set off in full gallop, and, at a distance of about two hundred yards, make a wheel round and come boldly up again, tossing their heads in a menacing manner; on a sudden they make a full stop at a distance of forty or fifty yards, looking wildly at the object of their surprise, but upon the least motion being made, they all turn round, and fly off with equal speed, but not to the same distance, forming a shorter circle, and then returning with a bolder and more threatening aspect than before; they approach much nearer, probably within thirty yards, when they again make another stand, and again fly off. This they do several times, shortening their distance, and advancing nearer and nearer, till they come within such a short distance, that most people think it prudent to leave them, not chusing to provoke them further.

"The mode of killing them was perhaps the only modern remains of the grandeur of ancient hunting. On notice being given that a wild bull would be killed on a certain day, the inhabitants of the neighbourhood came mounted and armed with guns, etc., sometimes to the amount of an hundred horse, and four or five hundred foot, who stood upon walls or got into trees,