Cows

I have described the disconcerting effect of being stared at by sheep. Cattle,  however, (provided they stay behind the gate) are more comprehensible. For one thing they do not remain silent but make quite loud snuffly noises as they advance. They will put their muzzles right up to the bars - it seems to me this is a gesture of greeting and I always say hello back.

Cows

I confess to a fear of cows and their large bony bottoms. On a walk along the banks of the Wye yesterday, I passed by this lovely little church and on through a field I normally avoid since there is usually a herd eyeing me with dislike. I was perturbed by the extra large pats I saw but only realised their cause on the way back when the cows, which had been clearly hiding in bushes and waiting for me, reappeared and, once again, put their bony bottoms to the use intended for them by Nature. Feebly I accosted a passing ornithologist who clapped his hands and shooed them away, leaving me to realise why parents used to scare their children by warning them that Boney would come and get them.