THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS. [Feb. 21, 1857.

THE IRISH COW-DOCTOR.

To give a general idea of the cow-doctor, he is invariably an old bachelor, had once upon a time been the sporteen (a gay fellow) of some village, and attended all the dances and hurling matches for miles round the country. No meeting of any kind was complete without his presence. How it was that he neglected the matrimonial yoke is difficult to determine; whether it was that his admiration of the fair sex was so great that he was loth to offend all, by a "single selection of one," or that he feared by such selection he might regret his choice, if afterwards he became acquainted with one of more superior attractions. Meantime, in giving this important question too much consideration, he neglects his small "holding," has become reduced in circumstances, and as he lives on through years of misfortune a change gradually comes "o'er the spirit of his dream," for, as "experience teacheth," the experiments he had formerly practised on his own cattle have converted him from an eccentric into a scientific, and if not a sad, at least a wise man. He is now recognised by the farmers of his district as the cow-doctor, from the skill he exercises i curing their distempered cattle, when all the resources they had previously adopted proved unavailing. The home of the cow-doctor is not the most delectable. Unlike the generality of mankind, he much more prefers the hearths of his neighbours to his own fireside, which is seldom graced by his presence, unless when he cannot possibly avoid it. As he is in great demand through the country, he always contrives to make his visits visitations, and the entertainment he receives from the owner of his patient is all he expects directly to gain for his professional services. There are few professions in life to which there are not some perquisites attached, and in being bestowed are generally considered and taken as compliments; but that system is quite the reverse with the cow-doctor; for, not being encumbered with a medicine-chest, he is often obliged to visit the nearest apothecary's shop, having been previously supplied with money to purchase the necessary drugs, which he compounds with great secrecy; and, knowing that a professional is always supplied at a very low figure, he considers the balance his own property-- the farmer meantime paying him a high compliment, and bearing his services in grateful remembrance.