We study the globular cluster system ( GCS ) of the giant elliptical NGC 4374 ( M84 ) in the Virgo cluster using B and R photometry .
The colour distribution is bimodal with peaks at B-R=1.11 and B-R=1.36 , fitting well to those found in other early-type galaxies .
The radial profile of the cluster number density is flatter than the galaxy light .
Using the luminosity function we derive a distance modulus of \mu = 31.61 \pm 0.2 , which within the uncertainty agrees with the distance from surface brightness fluctuations .
Blue and red clusters show similar radial concentrations and azimuthal distributions .
The total number of clusters is N = 1775 \pm 150 , which together with our distance modulus leads to a specific frequency of S _ { N } = 1.6 \pm 0.3 .
This value is surprisingly low for a giant elliptical , but resembles the case of merger remnants like NGC 1316 , where the low specific frequency is probably caused by the luminosity contribution of an intermediate-age population .
A further common property is the high rate of type Ia supernovae which also may indicate the existence of a younger population .
However , unlike in the case of NGC 1316 , one can not find any further evidence that NGC 4374 indeed hosts younger populations .
The low specific frequency would also fit to a S0 galaxy seen face-on .