150 THE HORSE. 
son, Van Tromp, should be by Lanercost, nor that Orlando, with his 
double lines of Selim and Castrel blood, should get a mere half-miler like 
Zuyder Zee. The Flying Dutchman was, no doubt, a grand performer 
himself, but his may be regarded as a somewhat exceptional case, and this 
opinion is supported by the failure of his own brother (Vanderdecken) on 
the turf, although cast in a mould which would lead one to expect a still 
gieater success. 
In PAYING ATTENTION TO THE PERFORMANCES Of the ancestry of both sire 
and dam, regard must also be had to their size, as this element is consi- 
dered of much importance. Neither a large nor a small sire or dam will 
perpetuate the likeness of himself or herself unless descended from a breed 
which is either the one or the other. It only leads to disappointment to 
breed from a tall stallion or mare if either is only accidentally so, and not 
belonging to a breed generally possessing the same characteristics. Many 
a small mare or bitch has surprised her owner by producing him animals 
much larger than herself, but on tracing her pedigree it will almost always 
be found to contain the names of animals of above the average size. 
Moderately small mares are generally of a stronger constitution than very 
large ones, and on that account they will often answer the purposes of the 
stud better than larger animals, prowded they are of a sort usually cast in 
the mould which is desired. ‘This should never be lost sight of by the 
breeder, and where, as in breeding thoroughbreds, the pedigree can be 
traced far enough for this purpose, there is no excuse for neglecting the 
circumstance. 
THE ABOVE PRECAUTIONS are sufficient in all those cases where the 
pedigree is attainable, but there are many brood mares, as I before 
remarked, in which nothing is known of their antecedents. Here, the 
breeder can only act upon the general rule that “like produces like,” and 
cannot take advantage of the addition which I have made to the 12th 
axiom, at page 139, of the words, “or the likeness of some ancestor.” In 
such cases, for the reason which I have given, disappointment will con- 
stantly attend upon the first experiments, and until the mare has produced 
her first foal, and he has gone on to his third or fourth year, the value of 
the dam can hardly be ascertained. Breeding is always, more or less, a 
lottery, but when it is carried on with dams of unknown parentage, it is 
ten times more so than it need be. Were I to commence the establish- 
ment of a breeding stud, whether of cart or carriage horses, hacks or 
hunters, I would never introduce a single mare whose dam and grand-dam 
as well as the sire and grand-sire would not be produceable as good 
specimens of their respective kinds. Beyond the second remove there 
would always be some difficulty in going with the lower-bred mares, but 
I would certainly go as far as this in all cases. If the sire and dam, 
grand-sire and grand-dam, were, on the whole, of desirable form and per- 
formances, I would choose the produce as a brood mare, but not otherwise ; 
and though, of course, I should be obliged to pass over some important 
defects in individuals, I would not do so if they were common to all, or 
nearly all, of the four. In this way I should expect to do more than by 
simply choosing “a great roomy mare” without knowing her pedigree in 
the belief that she would be sure to reproduce her likeness. 
SELECTION OF BLOOD IN EACH CLASS OF HORSE. 
In THE RACE-HORSE the choice of blood will always greatly depend upon 
the fashion of the day, if the produce is to be profitably disposed of, and 
