AXIOMS FOR BREEDER'S USE. 175 



1. The male and female each furnish their quota towards the 

 original germ of the offspring ; but the female over and above 

 this nourishes it till it is born, and, consequently, may be supposed 

 to have more influence upon its formation than the male. 



2. JS^atural conformation is transmitted by both parents as 

 a general law, and likewise anj^ acquired or accidental variation. 

 It may therefore be said that, on both sides, " like produces 



m-e." 



3. In proportion to the purity of the breed will it be trans- 

 mitted unchanged to the offspring. Thus a greyhound bitch of 

 pure blood put to a mongrel will produce puppies more nearly 

 resembling her shape than that of the father. 



4. Breeding in-and-in is not injurious to the dog, as may be 

 proved both from theory and practice ; indeed it appears, on the 

 contrary, to be very advantageous in many well-marked instances 

 of the greyhound, which have of late years appeared in public. 



5. As every dog is a compound animal, made up of a sire 

 and dam, and also their sires and dams, &c., so, unless there is 

 much breeding in-and-in, it may be said that it is impossible 

 to foretell with absolute certainty what particular result will be 

 elicited. 



6. The first impregnation appears to produce some effect upon 

 the next and subsequent ones. It is therefore necessary to take 

 care that the effect of the cross in question is not neutralised by 

 a prior and bad impregnation. This fact has been so fully estab- 

 lished by Sir John Sebright and others that it is needless to o-o 

 into its proofs. 



