Five thousand years of livestock in Britain

The introduction of livestock, including the rabbit and the fallow deer, to Britain is reviewed, and a summary is given of the history of husbandry arid selective breeding. The feeding or stock on foliage and its importance for survival through the winter is described. The meaning of domestication is discussed and ii is argued that there should be no separation between the old established breeds of livestock, park deer, and feral populations including Chillingham rattle, Soay sheep, and Bagot goats; all belong to the assemblage of large mammals that has created the landscape of the British Isles.