416 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



numerous instances of acquired and abnormal characteristics and illustrations of heredity, some 

 of which we insert, since they serve to illustrate this power in animals GO forcibly. The ten 

 dency to lay on fat rapidly, and to mature early is inherited in the best families of Short 

 horns, Devons, Herefords, and other meat-producing breeds, while the ability to secrete an 

 abundant supply of milk is in like manner perpetuated in the Ayrshires, the Jerseys, and 

 other dairy breeds. 



The certainty with which these acquired qualities are transmitted constitutes one of the 

 most valuable peculiarities of a breed. The American trotting.horse furnishes another illus 

 tration of the inheritance of acquired characters. The various breeds of dogs have pecu 

 liarities that have been developed by a long course of training, which are transmitted with a 

 uniformity that is surprising. Young setters, pointers, and retrievers, that have never been 

 in the field, will often &quot;work&quot; with as much steadiness and ability as those that have had a 

 long experience in sporting. In such cases, however, it will be found that the ancestors, 

 immediate or remote, have been well trained in their special methods of hunting. The 

 Shepherd dog is remarkable for its sagacity and the persistence with which it carries out the 

 wishes of its master; and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to train dogs of any other 

 breed to equal them in their special duties. The Greyhound runs by sight, and the Blood 

 hound by scent, and their offspring all inherit the same peculiarities. The curious fact was 

 observed by Mr. Knight, that the young of a breed of Springing Spaniels which had been 

 trained for several successive generations to find woodcocks, seemed to know as well as the 

 old dogs what degree of frost would drive the birds to seek their food in unfrozen springs 

 and rills. t 



A new instinct or peculiar characteristic has also become hereditary in a mongrel race 

 of dogs employed by the inhabitants of the banks of the Magdalena almost exclusively in 

 hunting the White-lipped Peccary. The address of these dogs consists in restraining their 

 ardor and attaching themselves to no individual in particular, but keeping the whole in 

 check. Now, among these dogs some are found which, the very first time they are taken to 

 the woods, are acquainted with this mode of attack, whereas a dog of another breed starts 

 forward at once, is surrounded by the peccaries, and, whatever may be his strength, is 

 destroyed in a moment. A race of dogs employed for hunting deer in the plateau of Santa 

 Fr, in Mexico, is distinguished by the peculiar mode in which they attack their game. This 

 consists in seizing the animal by the belly and overturning it by a sudden effort, taking 

 advantage of the moment when the body of the deer rests only upon the forelegs, the weight 

 of the animal thus thrown being often six times that of its antagonist. Now, the dog of 

 pure breed inherits a disposition to this kind of chase, and never attacks a deer from before 

 while running; and even should the deer, not perceiving him, come directly upon him, the 

 dog steps aside, and makes his assault upon the flank. 



On the other hand, European dogs, though of superior strength and general sagacity, 

 are destitute of this instinct, and, for want of similar precautions, they are often killed by 

 the deer on the spot, the cervical vertebrae being dislocated by the violence of the shock. 

 .Mr. Lewes had a puppy taken from its mother at six weeks who, although never taught to 

 &quot;beg&quot; (an accomplishment his mother had been taught), spontaneously took to begging for 

 everything he wanted; when about seven or eight months old, he would beg for food, beg to 

 be .let out of the room, and one day was found opposite a rabbit-hutch apparently begging 

 ;the rabbits to come out and play. A dog, owned by myself several years ago, inherited the 

 same accomplishment from his mother, who had been trained to sit in an erect position and 

 iold a stick in imitation of a soldier with a musket. This dog was taken from his mother 

 when but a few days old, and before it had an opportunity of learning any tricks by imita 

 tion. Without any training, when a few months old, he assumed the erect position when 

 ever anything was wanted, and, if that did not attract attention, he would &quot; speak &quot; with a 

 ;short bark, as his mother had been in the habit of doing. 



