38 A TREATISE ON HORSE-BREEDING. 



to daughter, and from mother to son, and even 

 especial sexual characteristics transmitted by 

 the father through a daughter to a grandson, 

 or by the mother through a son to a grand- 

 daughter; but it is worthy of remark that in 

 no case are all the peculiarities of. any one 

 individual transmitted. Indeed, it would be 

 strange were it otherwise, because each indi- 

 vidual is the joint product of two other individ- 

 uals, each endowed with peculiarities of its 

 own; and that each should be transmitted as 

 an entirety is absolutely impossible. Rarely 

 do we find in the offspring a blending of the 

 peculiarities of the parents in exact proportion 

 as one might theoretically argue would be 

 the result were the parents of equally well- 

 established types but rather that in some re- 

 spects the offspring resembles the father, in 

 others the mother, in some forming a partial 

 or exact mean between the two; and in still 

 others the produce being utterly unlike either, 

 but possessing an individuality or character 

 peculiarly its own. I might illustrate this by 

 instances from the experience of every breeder, 

 but it is not necessary. The effect has been 

 observed by all who have given any attention 

 whatever to the subject of breeding. 



THE FORMATION OF BREEDS. 



I have spoken of the uniformity which char- 

 acterizes animals of a given species in a state 



