BREEDING. 131 



Everything that tends to her welfare in any way must 

 influence the offspring more or less, and the reverse. 



3. From the close connection between mother and 

 foetus, it follows that the foetus must also influence the 

 mother, and more or less permanently ; which explains 

 why the members of subsequent litters may show an un- 

 mistakable resemblance to previous sires. The nature of 

 the sire is of necessity impressed on the dam to some ex- 

 tent, but in most cases it is slight and not obvious ; but 

 it is difficult to see how, from the nature of the connec- 

 tion between mother and foetus, the sire's influence can 

 be wholly avoided. 



" Reversion " or " atavism " is resemblance to a pre- 

 vious ancestor. 



There is a wide-spread belief among breeders that the 

 offspring resemble the sire in external form and the dam 

 in the internal or hidden form, or that which determines 

 disposition, stamina, etc. 



But it is not to be forgotten that a sire is generally 

 selected with more care than a brood bitch, and often be- 

 cause he has a striking and pleasing form and with but 

 little regard to his constitution, which is but seldom a sub- 

 ject of special inquiry. 



Mating. — All sound rules for mating must be based on 

 such principles as we have endeavored to set forth. 



Both parents must be equally considered. 



In wild animals there is the freest choice and the 

 greatest degree of intercrossing within the limits of ^-he 

 species, which result in bringing together in the male and 

 fenuale cells protoplasm of the most diverse experiences, 

 which seems to result in the highest vitality ; while the 



