Chapter I 



Domestic Animals 



WHEN the time conies for the old dog to die and 

 when with sorrow we shall have to replace him, will 

 not the breed of our new companion be our first thought? 

 Farmers in all ages of which we have any records, and in 

 all countries, have paid great attention to the breed of 

 all their flocks and herds. Owners of cattle have always 

 known that care in the selection of stock for breeding 

 purposes will pay them well in the long run. Do not all 

 who keep poultry discuss the relative merits of Leghorns 

 and Light Sussex, or of whatever may be the favorite 

 breeds at the time ? Pigs, pigeons, canaries, bees, to say 

 nothing about vegetables — ask those who take a practical 

 interest in rearing them what would be the chance of 

 anyone winning a prize who was careless as to breed. 

 Lastly, the publication of stud books proves what careful 

 consideration is given to the performances of the ancestors 

 of existing horses. And if men, however savage or how- 

 ever cultivated, have always given so much time to the 

 study of the breed of the animals they own, why have they 

 not paid equal or more attention to their own breed? 

 Before a marriage is contracted many questions may be 

 asked as to the amount of money likely to be inherited 

 by the bride, while no consideration is usually given to 

 the qualities of mind or body which she is likely to pass 

 on to her children — to her breed, in fact. The aim of 

 eugenics is to prove that the breed of our own citizens is a 

 matter of vital importance when considering the future 

 welfare of our country. 



First of all let us see what advantages have actually 

 been gained for man by improving the breed of his domes- 

 tic animals, and how these improvements have been 



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