32 FAMILY RECEIPTS. 



breeding, which would prevent the production of horns, 

 would therefore afford a considerable saving. 



"The length of the neck should be proportioned to 

 the height of the animal, that it may collect its food 

 with ease. 



'^Muscles* The muscles and tendons, which are their 

 appendages, should be large, by which an animal is ena- 

 bled to travel with greater facility. 



''Bones, The strength of an animal does not depend 

 on the size of the bones, but on that of the muscles; 

 many animals with large bones are weak, their muscles 

 being small. Animals imperfectly nourished during 

 growth have their bones disproportionally large. If this 

 originates from a constitutional defect, they remain weak 

 during life; large bones may therefore indicate an im- 

 perfection in the organs of nutrition." 



Of the improvement of form. The chief point to be 

 attended to for the improvement of form, from Mr. 

 Cline's principles, is the selection of males for breed 

 of a proportionally smaller size than the females, both 

 being of approved forms; the size of the foetus depends 

 on the size of the female, and therefore when the female 

 is disproportionally small, her oifspring has all the dis- 

 proportion of a starveling from want of due nourishment. 



The larger female has also a greater supply of milk, 

 and her offspring is therefore more abundantly provided 

 with nourishment after birth. 



When the female is large in proportion to the male, 

 the lungs of the offspring will also be greater. By 

 crossing in this manner, there are produced animals with 

 remarkably large chests, as has been often noticed ; the 

 advantage of large lungs has been already pointed out. 



In animals where activity is required, this practice 

 should not be extended so far as in those which are in- 

 tended for the food of man. 



The size of animals is commonly adapted to the soil 

 which they inhabit; when the produce is scanty, the 

 breed is small; the large sheep of Lincolnshire would 

 starve, where the small sheep of Wales find abundant 

 food. 



