Breeding Hunters 43 



Prepotent sires may generally be relied upon to transmit 

 their conformation or external form, while the dams more 

 generally transmit internal qualities, such as courage, speed, 

 endurance, and vices. The characteristics of prepotent 

 sires, however, are usually more noticeable in their daugh- 

 ters, the sons in this respect generally resembling their 

 dams. Again, prepotent sires are generally found to trans- 

 mit their own qualities to the second generation through 

 their daughters, while the characteristics of the dams are 

 handed down to the second generation through their sons, 

 as in this simple diagram : 



Sire son second generation 



Dam daughter second generation 



This seems to be nature's way of preserving the balance 

 of power between the sexes. It will be observed that the 

 above refers particularly to prepotent sires. There is little 

 use in attempting to formulate any rules concerning any 

 others. Most rules or theories in regard to breeding are 

 beset with so many exceptions that it is very difficult to 

 establish them. 



Of one thing, however, I am thoroughly convinced : 

 that variations or abnormal characteristics are received 

 principally from the dam and are acquired during the pe- 

 riod of gestation. 



We are always repeating that old maxim, " Like produces 

 like "; yet this cannot be strictly true, else there would never 

 have been variations. All the different families of horses 



