32 ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES 



been paid to breeding, for the inheritance of good and 

 bad qualities is so obvious. 



At the present time, eminent breeders try by 

 methodical selection, with a distinct object in view, to 

 make a new strain or sub-breed, superior to anything 

 existing in the country. But, for our purpose, a kind 

 of Selection, which may be called Unconscious, and 

 which results from every one trying to possess and 

 breed from the best individual animals, is more im- 

 portant. Thus, a man who intends keeping pointers 

 naturally tries to get as good dogs as he can, and after- 

 wards breeds from his own best dogs, but he has no 

 wish or expectation of permanently altering the breed. 

 Nevertheless I cannot doubt that this process, con- 

 tinued during centuries, would improve and modify 

 any breed, in the same way as Bakewell, Collins, etc., 

 by this very same process, only carried on more 

 methodically, did greatly modify, even during their 

 own lifetimes, the forms and qualities of their cattle. 

 Slow and insensible changes of this kind could never 

 be recognised unless actual measurements or careful 

 drawings of the breeds in question had been made long 

 ago, which might serve for comparison. In some cases, 

 however, unchanged, or but little changed individuals 

 of the same breed may be found in less civilised dis- 

 tricts, where the breed has been less improved. There 

 is reason to believe that King Charles's spaniel has 

 been unconsciously modified to a large extent since the 

 time of that monarch. Some highly competent 

 authorities are convinced that the setter is directly 

 derived from the spaniel, and has probably been slowly 

 altered from it. It is known that the English pointer 

 has been greatly changed within the last century, and 

 in this case the change has, it is believed, been chiefly 

 effected by crosses with the fox-hound; but what concerns 

 ns is, that the change has been effected unconsciously 

 and gradually, and yet so effectually, that, though 

 the old Spanish pointer certainly came from Spain, Mr. 

 Borrow has not seen, as I am informed by him, any 

 native dog in Spain like our pointer. 



