SELECTIONS IN BREEDING. 31 



greater anomaly than the case of Edward Lambert, whose body was 

 covered with the horny excrescences. He transmitted this pecu- 

 Harity to his sons but not to his daughters, and it was likewise trans- 

 mitted, by his only sou of the six who survived, to his sons, but not 

 by his daughters nor to any of the female descendants. It was 

 transmitted through the male line for six generations and then 

 disappeared. 



As closely connected with this subject, it is highly proper also to 

 advert to the fact that it very frequently occurs that one gait is 

 materially modified by crossing with another family possessing a good 

 but different style of action. It is reasonable to suppose that the colt 

 would possess a gait somewhat different from each of his parents, but 

 sometimes it results that the way of going is highly defective. I will 

 not stop here to treat of the true trotting gait, but it will be sufficient 

 for my purpose to say that if, in the case of two different gaits, each 

 in no special way objectionable, the joint produce should show 

 abundance of trotting action, but at the same time of suqh faulty kind 

 as to require art and the appliances of skillful treatment to remedy 

 that defect, there may be a direct loss instead of a positive gain. 

 The resort to weights to balance up a trotter and cause him to go level 

 and steady may accomplish the object, but the necessity for such a 

 resort is a loss. 



A trotter should go level and steady before and behind, and he 

 should not be a sprawler, although such defect can in great part be 

 overcome by skillful treatment; but there is great loss of motion and 

 power in all such cases. Economy is the great law of life in all its 

 departments — economy of forces, of resources, and also in results. A 

 colt must not trot too high nor too low in front, and he must not do 

 all his trotting with his forelegs. Here comes the great difficulty to 

 be apprehended at all times in crossing the Morgan family, with their 

 high-knee action, or the Pilots and Mambrinos, with their wide-open, 

 almost sprawling action, on Hamljletonians and others that excel in 

 their even, true stride, jDassing over great lengths "with little show of 

 trotting action. The results of such crossing are apparent already in 

 some very notable quarters, and will in time detract greatly from 

 some of the most popular families now before the public. 



In close connection with this part of the subject, it must be kept in 

 mind, at all times, that it often occurs in breeding various kinds of 

 domestic animals that certain qualities develop or disappear, strength- 

 en or weaken when they encounter certain crosses. Tliis often 



