Dear Beej, Jim, and Cousins, Jim, we know you are toying with us! As far as I know, neither bald cows, nor hides as a land measure were present in the American colonies. But the term hides was the most ancient term of English land measurement, coming from the native Angles and the Saxon invaders, and being prominently used in feudal arrangements and exchanges. It was not a measurement in the sense we think of as so many acres, so much as it was a measurement of a holding, originally with the Lord of the Manor and his tenants, and later, for tax purposes. When William the Conqueror arrived with a new batch of invaders, the Normans, the term was used in compiling his great assessment of the conquored lands, The Domesday Book (pronounced doomsday.) The Domesday assessment provides a sort of census, just as early American colonial tax assessments do. You can examine the Domesday Book online. It was created 20 years after William the C's invasion in 1066. It is a stunning document, and the beginning of all that we think of as "English." http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/ Jim, you must never apologize for having a sense of humor! We need it, and enjoy your lightheartedness. And, you SEEM to be harmless! Love, your cousin, Carolyn