198 THE POULTRY-BOOK. 



breed, never varying, except by crossing, and never degenerat- 

 ing, except by confinement. 



In other cases " close" breeding and occasionally " in and 

 in" seems to be in accordance with the laws of nature, as 

 with the wild turkey. Wild turkeys, in their natural state, 

 most generally resort to " close" and " in and in" breeding ; 

 still the race does not change in appearance, or degenerate. 



The rationale is the breed is pure. In comparing tens, 

 hundreds, or thousands of these noble birds of the forest, you 

 cannot discover the least dissimilarity all look alike they 

 always have, they always will. They are changed, or deteri- 

 orated, only by crossing or confinement. 



Most breeds of the hen kind degenerate rapidly upon breed- 

 ing " close," or " in and in," from the single fact, mainly, that 

 they are not perfect of their kind ; that is, the breed is not pure, 

 but of mixed blood ; and in such objectionable breeding, the 

 race degenerates just in proportion as the breed is imperfect, 

 or impure. The perfect Guelderland will admit of " close," 

 or "in and in," breeding, for a great length of time, without 

 deterioration ; but the impure, or mixed, will rapidly degen- 

 erate under such breeding. This is true also of all breeds 

 wherein the characteristic marks are uniform and confirmed, 

 showing perfection in the race. As a general thing, the 

 breeders should carefully avoid " close" and " in and in" 

 breeding where the race is not absolutely perfect, if they wish 

 to improve the breed ; and as all the breeds of this kind of 

 fowls (the hen kind) are of mixed blood, the danger of 

 such breeding is less or greater, in exact proportion, as the dis- 

 tinctive characteristics are fixed or variant ; and the danger still 

 increases if the breed is composed of bloods greatly dissimilar, 

 or of races widely differing in their conformation, or general 

 habits. 



These remarks are equally applicable to quadrupeds. If the 



