220 PRINCIPLES OF STOCK-BREEDING. 



offspring. Hence, whichever parent is of the purest 

 blood will be generally more represented in the off- 

 spring; but, as the male is usually more carefully 

 selected, and of purer blood than the female, it gen- 

 erally follows that he exerts more influence than she 

 does ; the reverse being the case when she is of more 

 unmixed blood than the sire." 1 



Stonehenge is undoubtedly correct in the opinion 

 that this axiom, on the whole, is the safest guide to 

 the breeder in making his selection of animals with 

 reference to the relative potency that may be expected 

 in the parents. The cases that he cites of full broth- 

 ers transmitting different characters to their offspring, 

 may be readily explained in accordance with princi- 

 ples that have already been presented, and it is, there- 

 fore, unnecessary to assume that they form exceptions 

 to the general rule that the best-bred parent has the 

 greatest influence upon the apparent characteristics of 

 the offspring. 



An examination of the pedigrees of the animals 

 in question will show that several sub-families of the 

 breed are represented in their ancestry, and we might 

 reasonably expect that full brothers would inherit 

 their leading characteristics from different branches 

 of the family tree, which they in turn might trans- 

 mit to their offspring. 



A long course of breeding in the same definite 

 direction, or within the limits of the same family, 

 would be required to secure uniformity in the domi- 

 nant characters transmitted by animals closely related. 



1 Loc. ciL, p. 139. Sec also Journal of tJie Roycd Agricultural &>- 

 ^ vol. xxii., p. 9, and vol. i., p. 24. 



