STALLIONS. BROOD MARES AND FOALS. 163 



for the quality upon which he bases his selec- 

 tion, and then he should look carefully to see 

 that no constitutional infirmities have been in- 

 herited. If there has been blindness not the 

 result of accidental injury in the near ances- 

 try, even though the colt himself may be ap- 

 parently free from any defects in his organs of 

 vision, this fact must be regarded as a point 

 against him. And so of any other constitutional 

 defect, weakness, or infirmity, whether of form, 

 structure or disposition. Infirmities of temper 

 are especially liable to be transmitted. It is 

 very desirable that the breeder should know, 

 as fully as possible, the character of the ances- 

 try on both the paternal and maternal sides; 

 and the farther back they can be shown to be 

 free from constitutional defects of any kind the 

 better. The colt himself may be free from 

 any serious defects, but if they are known to 

 have existed in his near ancestry there is al- 

 ways more or less danger that he will transmit 

 them to his progeny. Every observant horse- 

 man of experience can call to mind numerous 

 instances confirming the truth of this position. 

 The writer once owned a grey stallion that 

 was got by a grey stallion out of a grey mare. 

 When place'd in the breeding stud it was found 

 that he occasionally got dun colts, even out of 

 grey mares. Investigation into the ancestry of 

 this horse developed the fact that his second 



