RELATION OF THE SEXES. 79 



So that the whole theory must fall before one critical glance ; 

 for the whole is nothing but a combination of anachronisms, out 

 of which a genealogical tree is made. 



The audience having been dismissed, Professor Agassiz, at the 

 request of several members of the Board, made a few remarks 

 in reference to the general topic on which he had proposed at 

 first to speak. He said : — 



If it is in order, gentlemen, I will state what arc the leading 

 topics which it has been my desire to lay before the Board, and 

 which I felt a delicacy in approaching, when I saw that the 

 audience contained ladies. This is the question : The proper 

 relation between the sexes among our domesticated animals, with 

 a view to improving the breeds. While in Brazil, I was sur- 

 prised at the inferiority of the breeds. There are no pure 

 breeds of any kinds, from the horses down to the dogs ; and 

 there is nothing more disgusting than to see the variety of dogs 

 which are met with all over the empire. So great is the con- 

 trast, that I could not but ask myself, what is the cause of this ? 

 Is it a matter of climate, or what is it ? Why are the dogs 

 throughout the whole of that empire so wretchedly mean and 

 bad, and why is there not a single animal that you would point 

 out as a noble animal, representing in some way the .idea that 

 we have of a noble, faithful dog ? Why do you not see such a 

 creature there ? I was very soon satisfied that the cause was 

 not in the climate. I saw at once, from the relation of those 

 animals to one another, that there was some other reason ; and 

 I became very early satisfied that the cause of all this mischief, 

 that the reason why the dogs are constantly fighting and tearing- 

 one another to pieces, so that you will hardly see one that has 

 all his four legs, was the absolutely unlimited promiscuous inter- 

 course among them. This led me at once to consider the duties 

 of the farmer with reference to retaining what has been obtained, 

 and improving the breeds. There are very important points 

 that come up in that connection. I will not discuss them now. 

 but I will just submit to your notice some of these points. The 

 first is, the question of castration, which is so universally prac- 

 tised. Is it not carried to an extreme, which deprives us of a 

 large number of valuable animals, inasmuch as it is made at 

 such an early period that you do not know what animals you 



