4 WHAT IS EUGENICS? 



increase in amount being the result of deliberate care 

 taken in breeding. >,, 



The egg-laying powers of poultry have been improved 

 much in the same way as the amount of milk given by 

 cows. The singing of canaries tells much the same story. 

 The differences between the breeds of horses, with the cart 

 horse and the pony at the two extremes, are with little 

 doubt due in some measure to different wild animals hav- 

 ing been caught and tamed in bygone ages. But the dif- 

 ferences between these wild animals have been immensely 

 increased by man. In the case of pigeons, the existing 

 breeds, including such apparently different birds as the 

 pouter and the f antail, have all descended directly from 

 the one wild form, the rock dove. Why they now differ 

 so greatly is because in breeding them the fancier had no 

 useful purposes in view, and had only his fancy to guide 

 him. A study of pigs, sheep, duck, and even bees, would 

 also illustrate the wonders that can be accomplished by 

 care in breeding. 



Those who live in to\\Tis have not as good opportunities 

 of studying animal life as have the farmers of to-day or 

 as had their ancestors. Farmers learn much by their own 

 personal experience. They may have learnt even more 

 in consequence of the traditional knowledge acquired in 

 their families in times gone by having been passed on to 

 them by their fathers when they were lads. Farmers are 

 not always right when they try to explain things; but 

 when they talk about the advantage of attending to breed 

 they are talking about what they know. It is not the 

 business of farmers as such to apply to their fellow citi- 

 zens their knowledge as to breed. But should not we ask 

 ourselves why we should not try to improve mankind by 

 somewhat the same methods as those which have worked 

 such wonders with domestic animals? Is it not folly 

 altogether to neglect the experience gained by breeders 

 when we are thinking of the needs and the shortcomings 

 of our own nation? These are the questions which 

 eugenics aims at answering. 



