Magic of bullocks’ hairballs

Museum Research

Magic of bullocks’ hairballs

A greyish, textured ball with a similar one cut in half clearly showing fine hair fibres criss-crossing the cross section, with a museum label in a museum showcase.
Hairballs or bezoars from the carcass of a slaughtered bullock donated to the museum by Bill Dalton in 1939.

Protection from poison

Harry Potter and the brilliant bezoars

A chalky, cratered ball, about the size of a large fist on display in a museum exhibition showcase with a shell next to it and part of an ink drawing underneath.
A horse’s hairball mainly made up of calculus or chalk found inside a horse, also in the museum’s collection.
Museum of Cornish Life