OF PUPPIES. 109 



" perfectionner, et la nature se relever et donner tout ce 

 '• qu'elle produit de meilleur/'— Buffon Hist. Nat., torn, iv, 

 p. 216. 



Mr. Beckford, in his Thoughts on Hunting, has this re- 

 mark : — '•' A very famous sportsman has told me, that he fre- 

 " quently breeds from brothers and sisters. As I should be 

 " very unwilling- to urg-e any thing- in opposition to such au- 

 '' thority, you had better try it; and if it succeeds in hounds, 

 " it is more, I believe, than it usually does in other animals.'* 



It remains to add, that many practical breeders of inferior 

 note are averse to breeding- in succession from near relation- 

 ship by blood, as brother and sister, father and daug-hter, 

 &c. &c. ; but many allow even the benefit of relationship in 

 a more remote degree. This is particularly the case with 

 some rearers of g-ame fowls, who are favourable to breeding- 

 from the third remove, which they call a nick. From all 

 which discrepancy of opinion may be gained, that the subject 

 yet remains problematical ; and, also, that the opposition to 

 it, if not altogether unfounded, has not yet, in the vast length 

 of time the system has been under trial, received such an ac- 

 cumulation of striking and incontrovertible facts as to force 

 conviction. 



In kennels, where many dogs are reared ^ it is usual to en- 

 deavour to breed in the early months, which is a judicious 

 practice, as it enables the young to benefit by the genial 

 warmth of the summer, and to expand their limbs by exercise 

 in the open air more freely. During the pregnancy of bitches 

 particular care should be taken to observe, and to remove, 

 any jippearance of mange or other affections of the skin and 

 surface : if this be neglected, the progeny will be brought 

 into the world with an hereditary taint that no future endea- 

 vours can wholly eradicate. 



Eeai'ing of Puppies. — The number of young that dogs 

 bring forth varies from one to fifteen : instances have occurred 

 where sixteen have been whelped, and I once removed the 

 same number from a dead setter. Four, five, six, or seven, 

 are common numbers. How many it is proper to rear, must 



