196 VOLUNTEER. 



is not a feature of the Duroc- Messenger blood the inference is pretty- 

 strong that it came from the other mare. It is a well understood fact, 

 that the family of Volunteer are not very cool or dull in that part of 

 their organism. 



Lady Patriot had not much of the Duroc appearance, although at 

 three years old she had a Duroc certificate in the shape of a pufF on 

 the side of the hock which became a running sore, and was assigned as 

 the cause for breedino- instead of breaking: her at that a^e. None of 

 her produce have ever shown any defect in the hock, and the Volun- 

 teer family have clean, well-shaped hocks, which shows that the Duroc 

 blood had no control in her composition, although her measurement of 

 24 inches in the length of her thigh, and the long thigh of Volunteer, 

 would gently point to Duroc, as will clearly appear by reference to 

 that part of Chapter V which gives an account of Duroc. 



I have inspected the old mare, and several of her produce at Mr.. 

 Thome's, including several in the second generation by different sires, 

 among them Heroine by Hambletonian, Marksman, Patriot, Sharp- 

 shooter, and Barbecue — a chestnut mare by Thorndale from Heroine, 

 and others, and I find the old mare possessed and has transmitted uni- 

 formly to her descendants, the peculiarity of measurement displayed by 

 Volunteer and his family. Her front cannon-bone was 10^ and her fore- 

 arm 21. She was 38^ from hip to hock, and 24 in length of thigh. 

 Her neck was 36 inches, and her windpipe 22, from Avhich the increased 

 length of neck in Volunteer is apparent. Her colts by Thorndale bear 

 a most striking resemblance to Volunteer and his produce. Marksman, 

 at four years of age, was pronounced the exact likeness of Volun- 

 teer at the same age. I will say that I have never inspected a. 

 family of horses — including the produce of Volunteer, about forty in 

 number — in which I have discovered such uniform adherence to cer- 

 tain peculiarities, all tracing to one mare. It makes no difference 

 what the character or class of the sire — whether it be Hambletonian, 

 or the sons of Mambrino Chief, Ashland and Mambrunello, or Surplus, 

 or Thorndale, all widely different — the old mare asserts her absolute 

 supremacy. Amazonia, in the produce of Abdallah, displays less 

 individuality, and there is less uniformity in the descendants of 

 Abdallah than there is likely to be in those of this Patriot marc. 

 I do not hesitate to pronounce her the most positive and absolute in 

 •her physical and blood characteristics of any mare I ever saw. 

 I do not believe there has ever lived in America a mare whose 

 influence was more deeply stamped on her descendants, and likely to 



