OF BREEDING GENERALLY. 661 



But this ought never to be depended upon, unless the sire 

 or dam have very pre-eminent qualities, which it is desirable 

 to possess. Crosses should be carefully guarded against. 



" Consider well 

 His lineage ; what his father did of old. 

 Chiefs of the pack, and first to climb the rock. 

 Or plunge into the deep." 



SOMERVILLE. 



In dogs of the chase, care should be taken that the dog is 

 stout, his shape good, and colour of the right kind, his nose 

 fine, and that he has a proper method of hunting. Be sure 

 that he is no hahhler or skirter. The former is the worst 

 fault a hound can have, and is apt to be followed by others. 

 Those that skeit are always unsteady and changing, and lose 

 more foxes than they kill. If the dogs are otherwise good, 

 this imperfection may be rectified by a more steady parent 

 of the opposite sex. 



Breeding from the same stock is to be strictly avoided, as 

 it is found that all animals (and even man himself) soon 

 degenerate by too close a union in blood. If, therefore, a 

 perfect race is wished, every possible attention should be 

 paid to obtain alliances betwixt the sexes, by animals not 

 connected by consanguinity, or at least, not very near. 



The time of producing in most animals lies with the 

 female. In the dog species the spring is the usual season of 

 desire, commencing generally in February or March ; and 

 this is certainly the best time of the year ; for puppies 

 whelped in summer are always stronger and more likely to 

 be straight and firm about the joints than those of a winter 

 litter, which often suffer materially from the cold, and 

 become rickety. 



Thus far as regards the breeding of dogs generally ; but 



