THE NOBLE SCIENCE. 207 



riment was not repeated ; but the mare was, in the next 

 season, put to a well-bred horse. I am statmg nothing 

 beyond a fact with which T am well acquainted, in saying 

 that this next, and all succeeding foals by different horses, 

 were all, more or less, affected by the stripes of the quagga. 

 Here was no fancied peculiarity — no indistinct resem- 

 blance of action or manner, but ocular demonstration 

 of certain plain and indelible signs, of stripes peculiar to 

 one animal, affording incontestible evidence of his blood. 

 Were it not foreign to our purpose to pursue the sub- 

 ject, I could adduce some curiously interesting accounts 

 of similar traits, beyond the canine species. It is, per- 

 haps, very fortunate that such indisputable marks as 

 the spots of a leopard, or the stripes of a zebra, are not 

 more common to animal kind, whereby the revelation 

 of some genealogical novelties might be apprehended. 

 The first htter of puppies which a bitch brings, are 

 supposed to be inferior to her second or third; but 

 there is no rule for this. As soon as she has Httered, 

 those whelps intended to be kept should be immediately 

 selected, and the rest put out of the way (or to wet- 

 nurse, if desirable to preserve them all). There is some 

 difficulty in choosing at such a time ; the general opinion 

 is in favour of the lightest, that they will grow up the 

 best. It was an old custom to take all the whelps away, 

 Jiaving determined what number to keep, and settle the 

 choice on those which the bitch carried first back to the 



