THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF BREEDING. 89 



sire, than to his more aristocratic dam. The lengthy ears, the 

 narrow foot, the coarse head, the hght and wiry limbs, the com- 

 paratively insensible skin, are all derived from the ass, and even 

 his size is more accordant to the sire than to tlie dam. It must 

 be borne in mind, that the large Spanish mules that we occa- 

 sionally see are begotten by asses of great size. In the breeding 

 of sheep, it is found that the qualities of the ram preponderate 

 over those of the ewe, a fact Avhich is well illustrated by the 

 cross between the South Down ewe and the Cotswold or 

 Leicester ram, in which the progeny very nearly approaches the 

 Cotswold both in size, length of wool, and general appearance. 

 In horses it is surprising what large animals pony mares will 

 breed when covered by horses much larger than themselves, and 

 it is rarely the case that a large roomy mare will produce a colt 

 that will reach her own size, if put to a small stallion. 



There are of course exceptions, but such is the general rule. 

 From these facts, I think we are justified in concluding that 

 the influence of the horse is superior to that of the mare, and 

 that the offspring, in shape, size, and general qualities, turn more 

 after the father than the mother. 



This fact, however, will by no means justify that total indif- 

 ference as to the qualities of the mare, so generally pursued, 

 particularly by farmers. When a mare is unfit for every other 

 purpose, she is generally considered worth something for breed- 

 ing ; whereas, in many cases, it would be more prudent and 

 economical to destroy the poor brute, than suffer her faults and 

 misfortunes to become hereditary. For, although the influence 

 of the horse may be greater than that of the mare, yet the bad 

 qualities of the latter are just as likely to be hereditary as those 

 of the sire; and indeed any constitutional defects, such as a 

 scrofulous disposition, are more likely to be derived from the 

 mare than the horse, inasmuch as the intimate connection be- 

 tween the maternal and fcetal system is considerable before 

 birth, and is kept up afterwards by means of the milk. It 

 must not be forgotten, too, that amongst mares and horses 

 kept for breeding, the proportion of bad mares is greater than 

 of bad horses. A horse is rarely preserved entire, and used 

 generally as a stallion, unless he has some excellences ; whilst, 

 as before observed, it is very frequently the case that the only 

 claims a mare has to the embraces of a horse are her total un- 

 fitness for every other purpose. 



. A bad mare will scarcely ever produce a good colt, however 

 excellent the horse may be ; and although a very superior stallion 

 may be introduced in a country where the qualities of the horses 

 are bad, and the benefit may be immediately perceptible, yet it 

 takes some years and several generations before the character 

 of the stock is materially changed. 



