BORSE BREEDING. 1301 



Highlands of Scotland the stock is the opposite, being small, lively and 

 very hardy, capable of living ou little food and thriving, and standing 

 exposure to cold sufficient to cause the death of animals not accustomed 

 to such usage. 



III. The Law of Habit. 



The habits and characteristics of animals that have been devel- 

 oped by the conditions in which they are placed, or the peculiar 

 training they have received at the hands of n:an, appears to be 

 transmitted from generation to generation with nearly as much cer- 

 tainty and uniformity as those that characterize the original type or 

 species from which they descended. Some of the most strilving charac- 

 teristics of this form of heredity are to be found in the transmission of 

 the highly artificial peculiarities that characterize the various improved 

 breeds of animals. The tendency to lay on fat rapidly and mature early 

 is inherited in the best strains of Shorthorns, Devons, Herefords and 

 other meat-producing breeds of cattle, while the ability to secrete an 

 abundant supply of milk is, in a like manner, perpetuated in the Ayr- 

 shire, Jersey and other dairy breeds. The certainty with which these 

 acquired qualities are transmitted constitutes one of the most valuable 

 peculiarities of the breed. The American trotting horse furnishes a 

 well-marked illustration of the inheritance of acquired characteristics. 

 The various breeds of dogs have peculiarities 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 "work" with nearly as much steadiness 

 and ability as thoi?e that have had a long experience in hunting and 

 sporting. In such cases, however, it will be found that their ancestors, 

 immediate or remote, have been well trained to their special method of 

 hunting. 



The shepherd dog is remarkable for its sagacity and the perma- 

 nence with Avhich it carries out the will 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 hunts by sight and the 

 bloodhound by scent, and their offsprings all inherit the same peculiar- 

 ities. Habits not peculiar to any particular breed of animals are often 

 inherited, for instance, tricks taught to dogs, as sitting up, begging, 

 etc., are sometimes performed by their puppies without their having 

 been taught. The handwriting of members of the same family fre- 

 quently have a marked resemblance. There are families in which the 

 special use of the left hand is hereditary. It must be admitted, how- 

 ever, that acquired habits are not in all cases hereditary, but it would be 

 difficult to fix a limit of their inheritance. Acquired habits and the 



