THE HORSE BREEDING. 549 



12. Acquired qualities are transmitted, whether they belong 

 to the sire or dam, and also both bodily and mental. As bad 

 qualities are quite as easily transmitted as good ones, if not 

 more so, it is necessary to take care that in selecting a male to 

 improve the stock he is free from bad points, as well as fur- 

 nished with good ones. It is known by experience that the 

 good or bad points of the progenitors of the sire or dam are 

 almost as likely to appear again in the offspring as those of 

 the immediate parents in whom they are dormant. Hence, in 

 breeding, the rule is, that like produces like, or likeness of some 

 ancestor. 



13. The purer or less mixed the breed, the more likely it is 

 to be transmitted unaltered to the offspring. Hence, whichever 

 parent is of the purest blood will be generally more repre- 

 sented in the offspring ; but as the male is usually more care- 

 fully selected and of purer blood than the female, it gener- 

 ally follows that he exerts more influence than she does ; 

 the reverse being the case when she is of more unmixed blood 

 than the sire. 



14. Breeding in-and-in is injurious to mankind, and has 

 always been forbidden by the divine law, as well as by most 

 human law-givers. On the other hand, it prevails extensively 

 in a state of nature with all gregarious animals (such as the 

 horse), among whom the strongest male retains his daugh- 

 ters and grand-daughters until deprived of his harem by 

 younger and stronger rivals. Hence, in those of our do- 

 mestic animals which are naturally gregarious it is reason- 

 able to conclude that breeding " in-and-in " is not prejudical, 

 because it is in conformity with their natural instincts, if 

 not carried farther by art than nature teaches by her ex- 

 ample. Now, in nature we find about two consecutive crosses 

 of the same blood is the usual extent to which it is car- 

 ried, as the life of the animal is the limit; and it is a re- 

 markable fact, that in practice a conclusion has been arrived 

 at which exactly coincides with these natural laws. " Once 

 in and once out " is the rule given by Mr. Smith in his 

 work on the breeding for the turf; but twice in will be found 



